Well I am back!
And what a book to start with! This was a powerful read. It is about two women who lives overlap for a while and as a result well never be the same. It takes place in Afghanistan (did I spell that right?) And the horrors that where described were mind blowing. I knew that women were held in lower regard, but this was disturbing. The rights that women lack are appalling and made me grateful for the choices I have...and it kind of makes me mad at the silly woman who think they are still being oppressed here in the USA. The story starts in the 70s and end somewhere around 2005.
Mariam was raised believing she was an annoyance, a nothing, a burden. Her mother had her unmarried, the father who already had several wives and children took care of the mother and daughter but didn't want them around to soil his reputation. As a child Mariam worshiped the ground Jalil (her father) walked on and waited every week for his visit. Mariam's mother suffered from some sort of mental issues and was mean spirited and cruel in her words and hopes for her only daughter. Eventually Mariam marries a very old man and as it turns out life can go from hard to terrible. After losing baby after baby Mariam's husband grows mean and abusive, quickly. At one point he made her chew rocks...just the thought makes my teeth hurt. Meanwhile the war in their city, Kabul, and surrounding areas raged during the 80's and 90's.
Laila was a little girl in the 90's. She was the daughter of a father who believed in education, and thinking and a mother who was fierce...in all the good ways. She was the type of woman who wore slacks and a blouse rather than the restrictions of their baroqs. She grew up knowing she had the opportunities to go to school and make a difference in the world. She also grew up in love with the boy next door.
But the war raged on. Through a series of tragic events Laila ends up married to the same old, terrible man that Mariam is. And Mariam hates her for it...for a while. The two women eventually form a bond of sisterhood. Helping each other through the darkest of times and making a miserable life into something to be proud of. I will not spoil the ending...
It is a story that should be read the hardest part was that some of the words where hard to pronounce and I would mix them up a bit, only a bit though. This is a country that as Americans we dislike and hate for 9/11. We easily forget that many of the people of this country are under much stronger and more constant attacks than the horrific one the USA endured. After reading this book I gained a little more understanding of the people who we often assume as terrorist but are women and children and men who are making it work in some pretty awful circumstances with extremely evil men making it harder and more awful to do so.
It is great to be reading again...and this was a great start.
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