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Cover of SMALL SCALE SINNERS
4.86

Based on 7 Goodreads ratings

SMALL SCALE SINNERS

by traditional Pakistani standards they are significant. In “Basic Training,” two world\u002Dweary sisters steal a young girl from the hospital where their mother is being treated and take her to a hellish place where homeless children are being trained for “the cause” by being randomly shot and learning to kill animals with little except their own bodies. “Children are shaped by the shape of their country,” the sisters muse, trying to excuse their behavior until a first\u002Dperson voice abruptly breaks through the “we” of the sisters’ communal voice: “I should not have to string these scenes up in front of you like this to help you understand that the word loss has a weight that cannot be borne.” Sohail takes measure of loss in story after story: about women deferring to men, about children living in the shadow of their parents’ mortality, about the burden of family and social expectations: “Everyone says women in this country are repressed,” says the daughter in “The Man Who Flew,” a woman in her 30s so frustrated by her obligations to her mother that she rebels in childish ways. “What came first, the mother or the repression?” But in other stories, like “The Park,” one of the collection’s standouts, mothers teach their daughters to be powerful, or at least not to hand over all their power to men. Sohail writes like a pointillist paints, and her stories, while emotionally heavy, lift from the page with humor and piquant details."

Book Details

Publisher:Of
Published:2024-01-01
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9798985976

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

This gritty contemporary novel follows a group of teenagers navigating the treacherous landscape of high school social hierarchies, where seemingly minor moral compromises escalate into life-altering...

Our Review

This gritty contemporary novel follows a group of teenagers navigating the treacherous landscape of high school social hierarchies, where seemingly minor moral compromises escalate into life-altering consequences. The narrative explores how small ethical shortcuts—cheating on tests, spreading rumors, excluding peers—create ripple effects that test friendships and character. Through alternating perspectives, readers witness how these "small scale" transgressions accumulate, forcing each character to confront their own moral boundaries and the person they're becoming.

What sets this story apart is its refusal to simplify teenage morality into clear-cut right and wrong, instead presenting authentic scenarios where peer pressure and ambition cloud judgment. The character development feels particularly genuine as teens wrestle with guilt, rationalization, and the difficult path to redemption. This compelling exploration of everyday ethical dilemmas will resonate strongly with young adult readers facing similar social pressures, offering both caution and compassion in equal measure.

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