The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad

[sib]

Just finished reading this book about an Afghan family. The head of the family is Sultan, the bookseller of the title. He rules his family, his word is law, and nobody will dare disobey him. The women seem to get very little choice and freedom, and are used as bartering tools to arrange a profitable marriage - business transaction? The boys of the family are cowed by Sultan, too, and crave freedom to do as they wish. Sultan is probably a very strong character, judging by the fact that he has made a success of his business, but you get the impression that not many people are very happy in his family.
Well worth reading..8 out of 10.
Has anyone else read it?

[Kell]

It was one of our Reading Circle choices this year (you can find the thread HERE (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2596&highlight=kabul) if you'd like to add any thoughts/comments there).

And here's my review of it too:

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was a complete surprise even from just a few chapters in. The double standards are despicable - if an adulterous couple is caught and only one punished (for whatever reason), it is the woman more often than not, and the punishment is most often death; girls are not allowed to smile at or talk to boys, not even to look at them, never mind be alone with them, for fear of them being "spoiled goods" and being beaten to within an inch of their lives; having to be covered from head to foot in all but the most permissive of households - even though I knew all this before I started reading, I found it completely shocking. Another aspect, with which I had trouble dealing, is a society where books, art and priceless historical artifacts of the Afghan heritage were willfully destroyed because of religious beliefs - it's utterly tragic.

The rituals observed, both in daily life and on special occasions, are absolutely fascinating, as is the fact that any woman would actively choose to wear a burkah over "normal" clothing that would be cooler to wear and allow more freedom of movement. The fact that while wearing this item, the women are actually described as burkahs, rather than called by name, adds to the anonymity it provides. Even though Afghan women lead far more sheltered lives, they have the same hopes and desires are any other women around the world - it's heartbreaking that they would be so harshly punished for acting on them. The family dynamics and the hierarchies, both within the family and the society, are very interesting.


Bookseller isn't really a very flattering book, neither of Sultan's family or his countrymen. Then again, with Afghan cultural attitudes the way they are, I think it would have been very difficult to portray them any more sympathetically than was done (although Sultan is arguably more progressive than many other men in that society). I found myself both pitying and disliking some of the family members (such as Mansul - he wants to do his own thing, but he's incredibly lazy with it) and reading about how the women are treated over there was incredibly uncomfortable and made me feel very lucky to live where I do!
There's a quote that particularly stood out for me:


Sultan said, “If the families don't have rules, how can we form a society that respects rules and laws, and not just guns and rockets? This is a society in chaos; it is a lawless society, right out of a civil war. If the families are not guided by authority, we can expect an even worse chaos to follow.”


Although I am still appalled at the way Sultan treats his family - like a tyrant, rather than a father, brother or son - I can't help feeling there is a grain of truth in what he says here. Children today seem to act in ways I would never have dreamed of acting when I was a child, with a complete lack of respect for others, especially those in positions of authority. Many are simply not taught that there are boundaries that should not be breached and that there is behaviour that is unacceptable in society. However, I think that cultures such as the one portrayed in this book have gone too far the other way, allowing no freedom at all and giving punishment that far outstrips many of the perceived. I'm not sure this teaches respect, more that it teaches fear and engenders an air of simmering resentment that will be taken out on future generations - an ever-perpetuating circle.


This is one of those books that will stay with you long after you’ve read it, and one that will undoubtedly fuel discussion, and therefore an excellent choice for a book group or reading circle.

[sib]

Thanks, I´ve had a look..

[angerball]

This sounds like a very interesting book. I think I'll add it to my TBR pile, though I have a feeling I will find it quite hard to read. :)