4 out of 4 stars
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In Unveiling the Truth by Helen Dantas, Beatriz is a Brazilian woman struggling to find herself. The opening of the book is Beatriz traveling to Winnipeg to visit her friend. Beatriz ends up staying in Vancouver longer than expected as an opportunity arises, and she is both excited to start this new life and homesick for South America. After a few years of living in Winnipeg, Beatriz meets Omar, a young Muslim man. A relationship ensues, and the couple eventually marries.
The couple decides to move to Vancouver, then to Toronto to advance their careers and monetary opportunities. Through these decisions, Beatriz realizes that her marriage is not the equal partnership she hoped it would be. Genders are viewed differently in different cultures, and gender roles have different definitions in Pakistan and Brazil. Beatriz grows increasingly unhappy in her marriage and must make difficult choices. Will Beatriz and Omar work through their disagreements? Will Beatriz stay close with her family still in Brazil? Will the couple move to Pakistan? Only time will tell in this memoir.
I enjoyed this book and felt that I learned a lot. I understood previously that multicultural relationships are complicated, but this book helped put the issue into perspective for me. I felt connected to Beatriz immediately and felt sorry for her and the mess she got herself into. I feel this book was written with the thought of "hindsight is 20/20," as Beatriz is writing about her life and her progression into an abusive relationship. It would have been interesting to read from the perspective of Omar as well, but this one-sided account was a good storyline.
This book is professionally edited, with no grammatical errors or typos that I noticed. I cannot even imagine leaving my home country to live in a much colder and lonely place, and Beatriz makes this move with such nonchalance that I am in awe. I am confused whether this is a memoir about Beatriz or a fictional story about Beatriz and her life. It doesn't matter either way, but the epilogue with the letter to Beatriz' daughters left me confused. She is such a strong woman, fictional or not, and I really enjoyed this book because of her courage.
I give Unveiling the Truth by Helen Dantas 4 out of 4 stars, for its excellent writing flow, a wonderful main character, interesting conflict, and intriguing storyline. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a strong female character looking to understand to a multicultural relationship or relate to his or her own multicultural relationship.
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Unveiling the Truth
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