I was truly moved by the stories from this antology... I wish I could reread them again for the first time, they were amazing and so different from what I've read already from others with the same theme... This book brought diversity into my e-library and not only that, but also I discovered stories from authors of a culture I'm not familiar with.

A collection of stories shared by Aghan authors and translated into English, sharing their realities through a selection of fictional accounts.

The stories were beautiful and deceptively simple, focusing not only on the publicly discussed areas of the country but the impact of the war, family ties and loss for citizens. Beautiful and poignant, I was disappointed in myself as a reader for not being able to see the deeper meaning in some of the stories but I feel that the book is not one you just finish and forget, but revisit. I look forward to developing my interpretation on the stories in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc.

Some books defy review really and this is one of them. A collection of stories like this written by Afghan Women where we get to gain an insight into their stories and experiences are too important for a little book reviewer like me to even begin to judge.

That said, I really enjoyed reading this book although it was at times extremely harrowing. There is a beautiful simplicity to the prose in these stories which helps cut through to the deeper feeling and meaning in each of the stories. Despite the often difficult subject matters covered, there is beauty and hope here too. The book really felt like a privilege to read.

An anthology of poignant short stories written by Afghan women. Each story is unique. Each story is gripping. Each story evokes empathy. Each story is powerful.
Not only are these women living in a patriarchal society, they are also living in a country ravaged by decades of war. The Afghans have a tribal culture; many of these stories are set in rural backdrops. There are cultural norms to adhere to which makes several of these stories hard-hitting. The lack of education amongst the elders is highlighted; the yearning for education of the younger ones is brought out.
Some stories are set amidst the constant explosions; bombs and explosions that seem a part of daily life. In one particular story, a character in consumed with the paranoia of being killed in an ominous explosion. The stories have running themes of suffering, grief, loneliness and poverty. There are also stories about determination and strength.
For the women who have written these stories, their pen is truly the wing of a bird. May their stories continue to soar.

Usually with short story collections there's always really good ones, some bad ones and meh ones.

This collection is different. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the stories is amazing! There wasn't one that I didn't like or was bad. This alone bis an achievement by itself.

It's plain and simple. Everyone needs to read this. Full. Stop.

I sincerely hope this book gets the attention it deserves and that we get more like this soon.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really beautiful collection!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This anthology sets out to make the voices of Afghan women heard, and it absolutely accomplishes that. The short stories in this book are all very different from each other in tone, concept and also quality. No doubt everyone reading this will have a different set of favourites. But all of them show different facets of what life is like in Afghanistan. Some of the stories deal with violence, while others take more of a "slice of life" approach. They're all important and illuminating, and I hope more people pick this book up.

The afterword is very enlightening about the circumstances surrounding the writing and compilation of this book, and I highly recommend reading that as well.

I didn’t think anything could effect me after my recent reads but the power in this book was breathtaking.
If someone asked me to describe this book in one word it would be reflection .

When I originally heard about this book I almost shrugged it off thinking as it was a collection of short stories it would be a quick and easy read but my goodness I was wrong.
The stories were powerful , incredibly moving and breathtaking. After each story I found I had to take time to reflect , on my life , the lives of the writers of these stories writing in a war torn world that I (in my safe home) can’t even comprehend . This felt even more poignant given the war unfurling in Ukraine .
One line which will stay with me for a long time is ‘war won’t take our creativity away’. I truly hope it never does .

Family , friendship, war , betrayal, love these stories explore every theme with depth unlike anything I have read before.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has truly changed the way I am thinking and has made me so appreciative of the things in my life . It has truly altered how I see myself and my life.
This book is powerful and breathtaking and my only criticism is that I want to read more by these gifted and talented writers.
Thank you to the team behind this book who have given these writers a platform.

A powerful collection of short stories written by Afghan women. Although works of fiction, these ladies draw from their everyday lives to create an eye-opening set of stories. Written before the return to power of the Taliban, one can only imagine the other stories they might have to tell now. For their safety these talented writers must keep their identities hidden for now.
This is a book that makes you stop and think. It is at times shocking, at others heart-breaking, overall it is an incredibly powerful piece of work that I feel honoured to have read. I shall be thinking about this book and these anonymous ladies for quite some time.

Read this book in a day, such a moving book and a real eye opener. I was absolutely lost for words, I felt this deep in my soul. There is nothing I disliked about this book and I recommend for everyone to read it. It truly has opened my eyes and educated me in ways I didn’t think was possible.