Tehmina Durrani

“To me, my husband was my son’s murderer. He was also my daughter’s molester. A parasite nibbling on the Holy Book, he was Lucifer, holding me by the throat and driving me to sin every night. He was Bhai’s destroyer, Amma Sain’s tormentor, Ma’s humbler and the people’s exploiter. He was the rapist of orphans and the fiend that fed on the weak. But over and above all this, he was known to be the man closest to Allah, the one who could reach Him and save us.”

“My mind became a sanctuary for secret thoughts of escaping from this household.”

“I found an inner strength to fight for myself. It was clear that nobody else would.”

“Looking back, I realized that we were being raised to be schizophrenic; an appearance of perfection was more important than genuine feelings”

“There will be a great imbalance in our strengths if we fight, because I am prepared to die and you are desperate to live.”