In 'A Pure Heart,' Family And Religion Both Bond And Break

Of all the emotions that can arise following the loss of a sibling, one of the most painful is guilt. Once a brother or sister passes away, there's frequently a string of intrusive thoughts that pummel the surviving sibling: I should have visited them more often; I should have told them how I felt while I had the chance. The feelings might be irrational, but there's nothing rational about grief.

For Rose, the protagonist of Rajia Hassib's, the guilt is even more literal. After her sister, Gameela, is killed in a suicide bombing in her native Egypt — not long after the country's 2011 revolution — Rose is convinced that her decision to marry an American journalist caused her sister's death. Rose "lies awake at night thinking of the endless ways she has not helped Gameela, regretting all the times she almost picked up the phone but got too wrapped up in the hustle of life and postponed the call ... Which single misstep on the trail that led to Gameela's death could Rose have prevented over the phone?"