Carol M. (foodislove) reviewed Wonderful book documenting appallingly oppressive conditions on 5/27/2009

Helpful Score: 1

I thought this would be a sequel to The Kite Runner, but it is a completely independent story focusing on the plight of women in Afghanistan. The story begins immediately before the Soviet invasion and ends in modern times, with a note of hope and of foreboding.

The main characters are Mariam and Laila, about 15 years apart in age, both with loving fathers and crazy mothers. After enduring the trials of these women--forced marriages, forced covering, abuse, inability to get an education (except briefly under the Soviets), starvation, mortar fire, non-existent health care--I'd be crazy too.

A lovely but gritty story of a society caught in the crossfire.

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