For a short book it is beautiful yet startling. The author's sense of Kabul is brutal and unrelenting. His descriptions of the arid weather, the relentless dust and the powerful force of the scorching sun make me grateful I live in the country I do.

This is the story of two couples, Mohsen Ramat and his wife Zunaria and Atiq Shaukat and his wife Musarrat and their life under the rule of the Taliban.

FROM JACKET COVER:
"Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban, this extraordinary novel takes readers into the lives of two couples. Mohsen comes from a family of wealthy shopkeepers whom the Taliban have destroyed; and Zunaira, his beautiful wife, once a brilliant teacher, is now no longer allowed to leave her home without escort or covering her face. Intersecting their world is Atiq, a prison keeper, a man who has sincerely adopted the Taliban ideology and struggles to keep his faith, and his wife, Musarrat, who once rescued Atiq and is now dying of sickness and despair.

Desperate, exhausted Mohsen wanders through Kabul when he is surrounded by a crowd about to stone an adulterous woman. Numbed by the hysterical atmosphere and drawn into their rage, he too throws stones at the face of the condemned woman buried up to her waist. With this gesture the lives of all four protagonists move toward their destinies."

EXCELLENT NOVEL!!

Passed onto annielaurie from Ottawa during her "surprise" visit today.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

TBR during this long winter to come..........