Dechoma and the Women of Mahe

Enter the world of Umaiba, a girl at the threshold of youth, a magic time of life. She is a keen student at school but also curious about marriage, love and her body. Her confidant is Dechoma, a servant in her grandmother’s house, who affectionately disapproves of her rebellious tendencies. But Dechoma is also a great fount of love that keeps Umaiba from falling into despair or loneliness as she exits her childhood. Fathi Salim deftly balances the buoyant and the poignant in her radiant debut. With great skill she braids Umaiba’s excitements with her fears, and joys with her disappointments. Through the girl’s bright eyes we see a whole inner domain of women and hear their stories in her sweet voice. We skip with her merrily and lightheartedly from chapter to chapter hopscotch style, until Umaiba leaps into her youth – and realizes that she cannot jump anymore.