Every once in a while you are going to come across a book that transports you to a different world altogether with the very first line. This book is one of them! The initial few chapters would be enough for you to realize that it’s not like any other fiction books you have read before. I too had to sit up straight in my chair just a couple of lines into it. Every opening line of the chapters is a visual experience and instantly brings you to the environment the author wants you to imagine. This book has everything! From a philosophical approach to a spiritual touch. Love is defined like nothing I have read before. The beginning starts with the end. We know the ending from the introduction itself, just like life. It’s what happens between birth and death, that’s what the book’s journey is about.
The book is divided into five elements Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and the fifth one which we are introduced to in the book. How the story evolves and progresses with the theme of the elements is just remarkable! The insightful nature of the words has a lasting effect. All characters’ point of view, their approach to life is so different yet, the reader is able to connect with all of them. I was able to relate to all the emotions shown by the characters. I saw myself in all of them and all of them in me. That’s the level of brilliant writing done by Elif Shafak. Although one might find himself looking for all the rules of Love throughout the book, the way these rules are written while telling the story is nothing less than magical.
The book takes place in two time zones, one of them is of the twenty-first century, where Ella is reading a manuscript about the events in the thirteenth century. Both the times are completely different and strangely the same. Because the very essence and purpose of life have been the same throughout, and that is Love. The story of Rumi, Shams of Tabriz, Ella, and her family is all well connected. We see the power of Love, its true meaning, and the transformations through the forty rules. The story of Ella feels familiar and relatable. As she reads the manuscript, so do we. Her journey feels like your own. I had not read any of Rumi’s poetry but the story of the birth of a poet inside him has been an educational experience. A famous poet, a 40-year-old housewife, a harlot, a 15-year-old girl, and someone like me, leading a contrasting life, unlike each other are still connected and in a way the same. All looking for love. To give, receive and share, in a world that constantly doubts us, purposefully trying to shake our faith, taking away hope. But still, we stand, with fear, uncertainty, pain, and loss. All for Love.
I read this historic story sitting in a café, reflecting back on my life. Even in the era of bumble and tinder, this story still makes sense because the need to connect and to belong is more than ever! From the first rule of Love to the fortieth, you can expect a change in your definition of belonging and the pain of loss. It might even change your approach towards life, making things simpler and easier. You will love this book if you are ready for it. The heart aching story of not one but all the characters introduced in the book will stay with you if you are able to see yourself in them.
