Sworn Virgin

Without having to travel all over the world, one way to get to know other countries is through reading modern literature of that area. That is what we get with this work; a glimpse into the world of Albania at the turn of the 20th Century, a place many people would be hard-pressed to find on a map, a place whose culture or customs are little known by the outside world.

The story might seem simple. A young girl’s Uncle dies, and instead of accepting an arranged marriage where she would no longer be free, she becomes a man in the eyes of the village, and is able to do all the things a man can do except for one: she must remain a virgin her entire life. While it is a way towards freedom, at the same time it is a trap. Years later she joins her cousin in America, and sets out what it means to be free; and rediscover herself as a woman. The story moves really well most of the time, the only part that does not is a bit towards the end.