Khaled Hosseins second novel is once again set in Afghanistan and much of the story takes place during the Russian invasion in 1978 and takes us through the end of the Taliban rule. The story focuses on the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila, who grow up in very different circumstances but end up together under similar circumstances.
Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man who barely acknowledges her existence. She has no formal education but is taught the Koran. When her mother tragically dies, rather than taking her into his family, he marries her off to a cobbler who lives in Kabul.
Laila grows up in Kabul, a neighbor of the cobbler and Mariam, although the two families do not interact with each other. Laila is well educated and her friends tease her that she will be making newspaper headlines when they are having babies.
Lailas two older brothers join the Taliban to fight the Russian invaders and are killed during the fighting. This sets her mother into an extreme depressive state. Her father is the one who is consistently there for her.
While her father is not fond of the Russian leadership, he knows that the Muslim rule of the Taliban will be devastating for the women in Afghanistan as well as many other areas of their lives in Afghanistan.
When Lailas parents are killed in a bombing attack just before the familys plans to leave for Pakistan take place, Laila ends up at the home of the cobbler and his wife. The cobbler orchestrates events to bring Laila to agree to be his wife.
Mariam and Laila do not get along and the fact that Laila is soon found to be pregnant does not bind the two women together as Mariam has suffered multiple miscarriages during her marriage.
One thing that eventually brings them together is the terrible treatment both receive at the hands of the cobbler who requires that both wear hajibs when in public and that they may not be seen in public without him. The rise of the Taliban rule only reinforces his behavior.
The other thing that brings them together is the birth of Lailas daughter. The two women form a bond that brings each to be willing to make great sacrifices for the other. The ultimate sacrifice happens several years after the birth of Lailas son.
I really enjoyed this book. It showed me what life was like in Afghanistan at the time of the Soviet invasion and after when the Taliban rule took over. It definitely brought forth gray area that was Soviet rule may not have been what the Afghan people wanted, but during that time, women were respected as equals and educated. Taliban rule turned these same women into slaves.
Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man who barely acknowledges her existence. She has no formal education but is taught the Koran. When her mother tragically dies, rather than taking her into his family, he marries her off to a cobbler who lives in Kabul.
Laila grows up in Kabul, a neighbor of the cobbler and Mariam, although the two families do not interact with each other. Laila is well educated and her friends tease her that she will be making newspaper headlines when they are having babies.
Lailas two older brothers join the Taliban to fight the Russian invaders and are killed during the fighting. This sets her mother into an extreme depressive state. Her father is the one who is consistently there for her.
While her father is not fond of the Russian leadership, he knows that the Muslim rule of the Taliban will be devastating for the women in Afghanistan as well as many other areas of their lives in Afghanistan.
When Lailas parents are killed in a bombing attack just before the familys plans to leave for Pakistan take place, Laila ends up at the home of the cobbler and his wife. The cobbler orchestrates events to bring Laila to agree to be his wife.
Mariam and Laila do not get along and the fact that Laila is soon found to be pregnant does not bind the two women together as Mariam has suffered multiple miscarriages during her marriage.
One thing that eventually brings them together is the terrible treatment both receive at the hands of the cobbler who requires that both wear hajibs when in public and that they may not be seen in public without him. The rise of the Taliban rule only reinforces his behavior.
The other thing that brings them together is the birth of Lailas daughter. The two women form a bond that brings each to be willing to make great sacrifices for the other. The ultimate sacrifice happens several years after the birth of Lailas son.
I really enjoyed this book. It showed me what life was like in Afghanistan at the time of the Soviet invasion and after when the Taliban rule took over. It definitely brought forth gray area that was Soviet rule may not have been what the Afghan people wanted, but during that time, women were respected as equals and educated. Taliban rule turned these same women into slaves.
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