Shabanu
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Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind is a 1989 novel by Suzanne Fisher Staples. It is narrated by a young girl who lives in the Cholistan Desert and centers on the story of her coming-of-age. It is succeeded by the novel Haveli.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Shabanu lives in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan near the border of India. She is the second daughter of a peaceful, loving family of camel breeders. Shabanu is on the brink of womanhood; her older sister Phulan is already marriageable, and soon will be married to Hamir, a cousin of their family's. Shabanu is also betrothed to Hamir's brother, Murad. At eleven years old, Shabanu is not interested in marriage; she enjoys tending to the animals and especially teaching tricks to her beloved camels, Mithoo and Xhush Dil. Before Phulan's wedding, however, disaster strikes: Shabanu and Phulan accidentally stumble upon several strange men in the desert, among them an old, wicked landowner named Nazir; coveting Phulan's youth and beauty, Nazir murders her soon-to-be-husband, Hamir, and plans to take Phulan for himself. Phulan has no choice but to marry Hamir's brother, Murad, instead. When Shabanu learns that she must marry Nazir's brother, Rahim-sahib, an old man who already has three wives, to save her family and her sister's new marriage, she must make a choice between running away and obeying the wishes of her family.
[edit] Main Characters
- Shabanu - an eleven-year-old girl living in the Cholistan Desert
- Phulan - Shabanu’s older sister
- Mama - Shabanu’s mother
- Dalil Abassi (Dadi) - Shabanu’s father, a camel breeder
- Auntie - the sister of Dalil Abassi
- Grandfather - Shabanu’s grandfather
- Sharma - a female cousin of Mama and Dadi's
- Fatima - Sharma’s daughter
- Hamir - Shabanu’s cousin; Phulan’s husband-to-be
- Murad - Shabanu’s cousin; Shabanu’s husband-to-be, but who later marries Phulan instead
- Nazir-sahib - wicked landowner who murders Hamir
- Rahim-sahib - Nazir’s brother, who later takes Shabanu as his fourth wife
[edit] Major themes
The novel focuses on female adolescence and the problems that females coming of age face. Themes Include:
- Love
- Adolescence
- Choices
[edit] Awards and nominations
Received in 1990 the Newbery Honor award.
