Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

Book Review

This book took me the longest to finish. I started this one quite a long time ago but never managed to push more than 2–3 pages (maybe because of the conflicting thoughts it generates). Also because the first few pages were way too depressing.

I really liked the emails between Ella and Aziz. They were deep and meaning full.

I may not agree to a lot of points from the book but nevertheless I will share those which made sense to me.

Also, many of the rules felt forced in the plot, but most of them are about loving God.

Some of my favourites –

Fourteenth rule – “Do not resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”

“The whole universe is contained within a single human being – You. Everything that you see around, including the thing you might not be fond of or even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees. Therefore do not look for sheitan outside yourself either. The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinary voice within.”

“The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish. But are perpetually store in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time.”

There are many such excerpts in the book which a lot of people will relate to.

Which book took you the longest to finish?