Book review What more could she possibly want.

Ayesha Hussain's book gives voice to the frustrations and anxieties of countless women that exist in our society. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the in-depth portrayal of the protagonist's struggles and woes, gives every woman reading the book something to relate to.

Spread across five sections, with mostly bite-sized chapters in each, the style of writing is easy to read. Starting with a touching dedication 'to all women and men, who have battled with dark days and persevered,' the book chronicles the different phases of Noor Aziz's life starting from her marriage to a Zain Hamid. Immediately, you feel for Noor, who comes across like the girl next door; someone you've seen grown up and feel a certain warmth and affinity towards.

The book takes you on an intimate internal journey with Noor all throughout her early days of marriage, her roles as a wife, daughter and mother, and then eventually to the person she slowly becomes in spite of and despite the challenges she faces. The writing accurately portrays the emotions, fears and insecurities Noor battles during each phase of her life. As a reader, you too feel the constriction of her environment, as she struggles to find her feet in Zain's house where she lives with her in-laws. You too celebrate her small wins, when she continues her education, or gets a job, or makes a home for herself. And you might also find it too familiar a story, when a little later in life, her role playing for the different relationships around her, leaves her feeling hollow and at a loss for her own identity as a person.

Her feelings and emotions are sometimes expressed beautifully. Especially how her hopes and dreams slowly transition into regret and resentment through a marriage almost always on a precipice. The despair is described in a genuinely honest, and at times, a poetic way. Noor also writes letters towards the end of the book, in an effort to extract understanding both within herself and from other people - all of which do a poignant job of tugging at your heart strings.

The book does tend to get heavy, with the gloom of Noor's life sometimes becoming a little overwhelming, which could possibly be intentional on the author's part. However, they are some chapters peppered across the tale, which provide a bit of relief. For example, the chapter portraying what a shadi waala ghar feels like...