Book Review :The Forty Rules of Love By Elif Shafak

“If we are the same person before and after we loved, that mean we haven’t loved enough

-Elif Shafak, The Forty Rules of Love

𝖬𝗒𝗌𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗂𝗌𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗈𝖾𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖾𝗅𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖨𝗌𝗅𝖺𝗆𝗂𝖼 𝖼𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖬𝗎𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗆 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗋. 𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗍𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇𝗌. 𝖲𝗎𝖿𝗂𝗌𝗆 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗇𝗍, 𝖻𝗒𝗀𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗉𝗁𝗂𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗈𝗉𝗁𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗇 𝖽𝖺𝗒. 𝖨𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗎𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗌𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝗏𝖾𝗌, 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖾𝗀𝗈𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾, 𝖾𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇, 𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌, 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗇𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗈 𝗈𝗇, 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾.

A forty-year-old, Ella is a devoted housewife and mother. She waived her livelihood and happiness to heed her household in Boston and Aziz, a writer dwells in Amsterdam, fell in love in the most startling ways. Everybody believed that Aziz is the reincarnation of Shams of Tabriz (a dervish).

Society judged Ella and it wasn’t the cakewalk for her either to fall in love in the mid-age when she was barely inclined to abide the idea of love. But the gospel reality is that love is the aroma and intent of life and it hits everybody, including those who scorn love and even those who use the word “romantic” as a sign of gripe.

Elif Shafak showcased the Sufi facet of love which brings the divinity and piety in the identities. The cover of the book is delightful and the touch of Islamic setting enhances its glamour.

The author aspires to unearth the need of care and belongingness from the victims of the cartel-beggar, drunk, harlot, leper; to the superiors like Shams of Tabriz and Rumi, and not overrating societal boundaries is something I liked most.

The Forty Rules of Love is a sober paced book which clutches your interest till the end. The citations used by Elif in the book was as simple and powerful as its cover.

And, how can I not mention that this book is full of fancy quotes that I couldn’t resist penning down. Highly Recommended