The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad
This is one of those books that makes you want to recklessy throw around the words ‘towering achievement,’ although these are obviously not words to be used lightly.
Seierstad, who is a Norwegian foreign correspondent, spent four months living with a Kabul family shortly after the fall of the Taleban. This is an account of her time there. It is a fascinating insight, naturally, but this isn’t the book’s great strength.
That is Seierstad’s anger at what she witnesses - what stands out most is the treatment of women in Afghan society, but gradually you realise that it’s not just the women but everyone involved in a set of strictures so rigid they can barely breathe enough fresh air to survive.
This is highly recommended reading.
Asne Seierstad links:
- Biography of Asne Seierstad from World Press Review
- A feature on the bookweb.org site
- What’s happening to this book on Bookcrossing.com
- Virago - Seierstad’s publisher
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