The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak - Review

 

The forty rules of love refer to an approach in one's life when they encounter painful and emotionally perplexing situations. I sense that the title along with the front cover image can be misleading as these rules doesn't restrict itself just within the nuptial relationship but cover a wide range of relationship that a human is likely to face in his or her lifetime.

There are two stories that runs in parallel, one of them narrates the relationship between Rumi, well known Persian poet of the 13th century and a dervish Shams-e Tabrizi while the second story narrates the unexpected love affair between Ella, a 40 year old married women with 3 children and Aziz, a modern day dervish of the 21st century.

Elif Shafak tries to narrate the course of different events happening 7 centuries apart. While the social setup and personalities are an absolute contrast between the two stories happening seven centuries across, the crux of the storyline remains the same.

Now, when Shams-e Tabrizi met Rumi, he was already an established and respected Islamic Jurist, issuing fatwas while also giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. Given this background, how did an unknown dervish Shams-e Tabrizi get close to Rumi and what change did he bring about? Similar question springs up between Ella, a settled mother of 3 children and Aziz. Am edging to disclose more on the underlying context but didn’t want to play a spoilsport for someone who is inclined to read the novel.

As parallel narrative progresses, Elif picks her spot to elucidate the rules of love one by one eventually disclosing the fortieth rule in the last chapter. I have mentioned a few of them below:

“How we see God is a reflection of how we see ourselves.”

“Most of the problem of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstandings. Don't ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of love, language as we know becomes obsolete.“

“A Sufi is thankful not only for what has been given but also for all that has been denied.“

“Eventually, for the silk to survive, the silkworm had to die.”

“Every true love and friendship is the story of an unexpected transformation. If we are the same before and after we loved, that means we have not loved enough.”

Overall, the book was definitely engaging and I believe it’s bound to resonate more with those who are well aware of Rumi’s story and poems. For those who want to read, beware of a heavy heart in the end.  

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