A House Without Windows or Doors

Kamal is dead with a hatchet buried in the back of his skull. That is the question that is asked by every character in the book and by the reader through most of the story.

Small House

Yusuf has a sharp legal mind but his Afghani down-home instincts have been dulled by his years in America. This leads him to make some missteps in his investigation and legal representation. However, his deep desire to do right by his client stands him in good stead, even when she downright refuses to talk to him or participate in any way in her defense.

This obviously begs the question: What is she hiding? This thinking sends him off to her village to knock on doors and chat to her neighbors, which sets off a chain of events that unknowingly help him in his case. The judge, Qazi Najeeb, is intent on making history with this case, but does he have the legal mind to be able to grasp far-reaching ideals and chart new territory?

The house with no windows or doors

Yet his ruling for a testing of that defense is uniquely old Afghani. Though tomorrow, you will forget all that has been told. In the meantime, Yusuf has his own story of trying to fit back into the Afghani society he had fled as a child. His mother is after him to get married of course! Should he go with one of his American girlfriends or should he go the traditional route and choose an Afghani bride? Gulnaz is a well-known but feared and perhaps reviled character in the region. Hashimi builds a complex tale of personalities and histories that come together to make Zeba who she is today.

I was most heartened by another secondary character, a young female journalist from Kabul named Sultana. Both women are of a similar age and yet their lives are dramatically different. I was fascinated by how Ms.

Hashimi depicted these three women, who are so very different from each other and each of whom is one of the faces of modern Afghanistan. It is through these women that the reader is able to understand the cultural underpinnings of the society. So what is the world of women? We are haunted by all the hours of yesterday and teased by a few moments of tomorrow.

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That is how we live—torn between what has already happened and what is yet to come. My struggle was partly due to the recoiling from the staunch patriarchy and abuse of women and partly from trying to understand how such thinking is acceptable to the men and women living it daily. If a woman is raped, it lowers not only her status in society but also the honor of her husband or father or brother, whichever male figure was the head of the household.

He then has the right to seek retribution by killing her rapist and also by mistreating her. She can be sold in marriage to anyone who would be willing to have her or sold off for menial labor. However, if the wife retaliates by killing him, then his brother can kill her with his bare hands to restore the family honor.

For us in the western world, this is all horrifying. The concept, along with the character names, is quite creative, but then it is a fantasy. However, as you read through it it is quite clear that this is a story told by a child, and so despite the fancy wording it has a very simple plot which is rather repetitive and without a lot of overall direction. I personally would give this book 2. Oct 07, Royce Ratterman rated it really liked it. Enchanting, whimsical, and full of expressive delightful details, especially for the child-age of the author at the time. A window into the mind of a child's world through her eyes.

Read for personal research and pleasure. I found this work of immense interest. I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs. Overall, this work is also a good resource for the researcher and enthusiast. Jan 07, Ronnie Catcus rated it liked it Shelves: Eigleen, a little girl named Eepersip.

A girl who started this book at eight, then rewrote it from memory at eleven, published at twelve, began working as a typist at sixteen during the Great Depression, married and then vanished at Running away from her parents, away from strangers and away from her house with windows only to find her home in nature. Follett managed to create a convincing relationship between the two sisters. There are moments where the adults make sense too as in the mother being upset that Eepersip is gone. Enthusiasm - The reader can tell by reading this how much in love Follett is with trees, flowers, animals, nature and the like.

She goes on passionately how sacred and wonderful it is being outdoors in the wilderness. It's obvious that Follett enjoyed writing this story. She tends to tell more than show- It feels weird pointing out flaws in a work done by someone so very young at the time. This unfortunately lead to not truly fleshing out Eepersip or other characters.

Stilted Dialogue - The dialogue is a tad unrealistic even for the time of which she was writing people. But many of these revering nature paragraphs and in general repetitive sentences could have been scrapped in order to tighten the narrative. Or another scene of a cat playing with a brown leaf.

What kind of room has no doors or windows | GRiN:)

But, having such things in the story convinced me that this was in fact written by a child. It sounds like a child, albeit a precocious one, telling a story. Very few transitions - At points a whole season has gone by within a sentence. Or some other climactic chase has been dissolved abruptly.

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Like she was a wild animal and not their daughter. Her parents were all about using force. Their first plan of action was to snatch her. Not to speak with her about her reverence for nature. I think this is quite telling about what Follett believes of the ideal parent. Especially considering the life of the author, her influences, and child psychology in general. But it does drag on, and there was a lot of unnecessary filler. Still, this is a cute story that delights in the wonderments of nature. Feb 10, Wanda rated it it was amazing Shelves: A delightful childhood reverie of nature as nature is for us before the world of civilization seizes us in its merciless steel jaws and gulps us down whole.

The "house without windows" is the outdoors--nature--the opposite of the confining, closed-upon-itself thing we call a house: Everything came back to her--those foolish coverings on the floors which they called carpets, at the windows those useless decorations called c A delightful childhood reverie of nature as nature is for us before the world of civilization seizes us in its merciless steel jaws and gulps us down whole.

Everything came back to her--those foolish coverings on the floors which they called carpets, at the windows those useless decorations called curtains. To think of it! How much more glowing everything was! Oh, nothing in a house could compare with the world of light that Eepersip lived in! I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it as the butterfly in the light-laden air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life. Some may see the author's version of herself in Eepersip as somehow unempathetic and self-centered.

Perhaps, and maybe Follett's troubled adult love-life is an expression of that in her later life. But this book was written by a child, with a child's undeveloped mind, which is still marveling at itself and the sheer amazingness of existing, and discovering what existence is. So I don't think we should read too much into Eepersip's disconnectedness from others. The book, once long out of print and a rare find, is now out of copyright and available on-line for free from this site: You can read the original Saturday Review of Literature review of the book here: The House Without Windows is a strange book.

It tells the story of Eepersip, a young girl who runs away from her mother and father to live in the forest and make friends with the animals. So far, so fairytale, right? Apparently a young girl with one hell of a talent for daydreaming. As such, it reads very strangely. As a result, the text is re The House Without Windows is a strange book. As a result, the text is readable but the story is very naive, as of course, you would expect of a story written by a child.

This should all be fine. Something that could only possibly have been produced before a kid became sufficiently self-conscious and self-critical to reject all notions of writing anything like this. The naivety annoyed me. Dec 31, Jim rated it liked it. Really a remarkable achievement for someone of that age. The story itself reminds me of the old paintings you see of children frolicking in meadows or forest scenes. It is hard not to read Eepersip a analog of the author herself, which adds to the sadness of it all; the need for escape, the, perhaps, feeling of isolation.

Eepersip exists in a state of ecstasy with the flora and the wildlife. Appropriately, these strengths of the story lie in the description of these element Context is important. Appropriately, these strengths of the story lie in the description of these elements. She is a wonderer, and her connecting to the human world seem transitory. The other characters do not feel real, nor do they act so. The adults don't have adult emotions, but considering who the author is, this is something that is objectionable. If, anything, there is a curious melding of childlike whimsy and fantasy combined with a far higher degree of writing skill.

Feb 19, Leslie Ann rated it it was ok Shelves: I learned about Barbara Newhall Follett from an article my friend sent me; the same friend also sent this link with the free version of her first book. The story doesn't have much of a plot or character development, but the language is impressive for a year old, even when accounting for the period in which the author lived.

What especially strikes me is how adverse the main character, Eepersip, is to interacting with others: We only have sensual descriptions of nature, which with the lack of a plot, leave only a fleeting impression. Dec 17, Sara rated it it was ok.

Honestly, I really don't know what to say about this book. It is what it is: She uses ALOT of floral imagery; there's some magic involved, it's a very short read and very easy. She runs off to the forest to get away from her parents which is an odd sort of foreshadowing because she also disappears in real life. How hard is it to rate this book. I found it at a secondhand bookstore and was drawn to it You can not really read the story without thinking about the amazing story behind this little author. It is quite amazing, yet very descriptive of nature's details.

It is fairytale like, and so dreamy. A bit odd as well perhaps. There was a little note inside the book that asks to leave the book somewhere so it could disappear just like Eepersips, How hard is it to rate this book. There was a little note inside the book that asks to leave the book somewhere so it could disappear just like Eepersips, just like Barbara Apr 28, Russell rated it liked it. While not a great book, that fact that it was written by an 12 year old girl is remarkable. Very much worth a read. It can be downloaded here: May 19, Mark Bonham rated it it was amazing Shelves: A simple, easy read: Well worth the time.

Feb 23, Nancy Johnson marked it as to-read. Looking to find this book as an e-book. Feb 15, Sarah Van added it. Apr 08, Lisa Houlihan added it Shelves: I thought this was going to be a horror like Room good book, horrific situation but it was delightful. Elizabeth rated it really liked it Jul 30, Shaniya Wiley rated it did not like it Feb 12, Matt rated it liked it Feb 14, Gina rated it it was amazing Dec 10, Di Xiao rated it it was amazing Oct 02, Freder rated it really liked it May 20,