Rukhsana Ahmad's The Hope Chest is a beautiful narrative which weaves together the lives of three women who face persistent challenges. Rani is a middle-class Pakistani who checks into a hospital in London for anorexia treatment. There she meets Ruth, who becomes her single greatest ally -- next to herself -- in this battle. Ruth faces a crisis of exhaustion from her demanding job in the hospital and finds affirmation and empathy from Rani. Back home in Pakistan, Rani's gardener's daughter, a girl whom she cares for dearly, is facing her own challenge -- marriage. At just 13-years-old she's forced to marry an older man for financial support and must manage his household under troubling circumstances. Although none of these women anticipated their specific challenges, they rise to the occasion.
Ahmad is a master of strong, female characters. Her protagonists in this novel are fearsome, not because they are extraordinary women but because they persevere. In the hospital, Rani is at the greatest risk for despair, especially considering the nature of her condition. She, under Ruth's counseling, however, decides to fight this daily battle. She doesn't tackle the whole problem on day one but chooses to accept herself in every stage of growth -- the only certain path to success. In this way her convalescence, a potentially humiliate experience, becomes both transformational and empowering.
Between the lines, these three women illustrate the method by which anyone -- but especially women -- can achieve success in whatever challenge faces them. Often women are not taught to be strong, problem solvers. They are criticized and indoctrinated to believe they are insufficient, but Ahmad fights against this social norm by empowering her female characters. Rani, Ruth, and Reshma all begin the book with anxiety and doubts, but they keep their heads on straight by tackling one problem every day. Over time and with perseverance, they all earn themselves happier, healthier lives within otherwise ominous contexts.
