(288 pages)
This volume offers an intimate portrait of Afghani people.
This is a book telling the true story of the extended Khan family following the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The bookseller of the title, is the patriarch of the family, Sultan. He is married with children and lives in a small apartment in Kabul with his extended family including his ageing mother and a nephew.
The focus of the story is upon the treatment of the Afghan women, including the situation of there now being no need to wear the prescribed Bhurkas (veils covering the entire body and face), and the growing want, and need, for independence. It also discusses the role and importance of faith and religion in the ‘new’ Afghanistan.
The story is told from a third person perspective, focussing upon the individual dramas faced by the family during the stay of the author in the Khan household. There are stories of crime and punishment, the stresses of courtship and the pilgrimage of a guilt-riddled son in an attempt to wash away his sins. The most fascinating, and moving story for me though was that of Leila, the 19 year old sister of Sultan, whose job it was to keep house for the entire family, and her desire to become more than a ‘slave’.
It is written in a very easy to read manner, and the story itself is highly compelling. The people are full of life, energy, emotion, individuality and determination, an amazing feat considering all that they have been through. The dramas are fascinating, addictive at times humorous and sometimes sickening, but they are the real-life stories of the Afghan people.
Having read this book (in just over 1 day – it is that gripping), I can now appreciate the difficulties there have been in trying to restore order and government into this war ravaged country, which to western eyes is still very old-fashioned. The west claims to have ‘liberated Afghanistan, but how can it have done so if it does not understand it?
I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!!
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