I found this one while searching for The Secret Life of Bees; it was right on the shelf where the Bee book (which I will get around to reading, someday; I’ve been meaning to for ages, so many people have talked about it, but it’s never in. I know, I know: why don’t I put a hold on it? I don’t know. ) was supposed to be.

Anyway, it’s a thin book, about two couples in Kabul under the Taliban written by Yasmina Khadra (which turns out is an alias for Mohammed Moulessehoul, who was an Algerian army officer). Sounded interesting. And it was. It’s beautifully written and very evocative. I could vividly picture an Afghan summer and the oppressive heat that mirrors the opressive actions of the Taliban. It’s a great English class image. Where the book fell short was in the characterization. Two couples — Atiq and Musarrat and Mohsen and Zunaria — are dealing with trials, life under the Taliban, and failing marriages. They both manage in different ways, and I’m not sure I got the motivations behind all their actions. Atiq was bursting with rage toward everything, but I’m not sure I understood why. Mohsen was an incompetent and confused. He was a bit easier to understand, but I’m not sure if I fully grasped the meaning of his actions. Zunaria was full of suppressed anger towards the Taliban and took it out on her husband. Musarrat was dying, and was, really, the only humane character in the book.

I think the author was operating on the assumption that his readers would understand more about Islam as a religion and a life than I do. Perhaps if I did know more, I would have enjoyed this book more. Still, I’m not sorry I read it.