“A novel about an Afghani family, written by a Norwegian, translated to English - surprisingly it works, a beautiful piece of work. There were three main things that settled on my heart now that I have contemplated the story after a few weeks: spirit; family; women. The eldest son's struggle to connect with his spirit, progress, renewed vigor, then disappointment, failure, and a return to the old way of living - how many of us have walked these steps (minus the guys with machine guns guarding the roads)? Muslim in Afganistan, Christian in New Zealand, same personal spiritual baby steps. Family: patriarchal; no damn nursing homes; grandparents and nephews and nieces and siblings live with the patriarch; polygamy - multiple wives come and live too; all in cramped quarters; survivors. For me, this is the light from the book - the strength of the Afghan family. The thing that broke my heart was the exploitation of daughters: their worth is in the work they provide to the family when they are young, and the price they can procure from a suitor when they are old enough to be wed. Neanderthalish. I thank the bookseller for being brave enough to expose himself and his family as they did in this book.”
