Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind

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 and a new addition to the series is The House of Djinn. Staples had lived in Asia for about twelve years prior to writing the novel.^[1]

Plot summary

Shabanu lives in Cholistan Desert in the Pakistan where they play games 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 twelve 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 and Gulaband, a camel her dadi had recently sold against her will. 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.

Main characters

• Shabanu - a 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 and Dadi's father
• Fatima - Sharma’s daughter
• Sharma - A female cousin of mama and dadi
• 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
• Mithoo - Shabanu's orphan baby camel

Major themes

The novel focuses on female adolescence and the problems that females coming of age face. Themes Include:

• Love
• Adolescence
• Choices
• Loss
• Wickedness
• Sacrifice

Sequel

In 1993 Suzanne Fisher published a sequel to Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, Haveli. Haveli shows Shabanu as a mother at age 18 and her ups and downs of her new life at home, her marriage, her daughter, and her life.

In the recent installment of the Shabanu series, The House of Djinn follows the life, hardships, decisions, and events that occur in the life of Mumtaz, Shabanu's daughter.

Awards and nominations

Awarded the Newbery Honor in 1990.

References