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Fereiba lived a lonely childhood in Afghanistan. Her mother died in childbirth and her stepmother never treated her like a real member of the family. Her stepmother does eventually arrange a marriage for her and it becomes a love match. Three children later, the Taliban are in power, Fereiba has had to give up the teaching job she loves, and their lives are shattered when the authorities knock on the door late one night, taking her husband Mahmood with them. Suddenly Fereiba finds herself alone with her children, fleeing Afghanistan and trying to reach family in England.
I like books like this. They always make me more thankful for the things I take for granted every day. It’s easy to forget that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I’m free to wear what I want, worship as please, marry whomever I want, work at any job I’m qualified for, and get an education. I have access to healthcare, a nice home, clean water, electricity, indoor plumbing…the list goes on. Not everyone has even the most basic of these.
I particularly enjoyed that the book starts before the Taliban were in power. Fereiba is a teacher, wearing stylish clothes and meeting her friends in public. The change to the Taliban regime is pretty abrupt in the book, I guess in the interest of time, but suddenly she can’t teach and she can barely leave the house. When she does she has to wear a burqa and be accompanied by her husband. I’ve read widely enough to know that these changes have happened within my lifetime but it’s good to remind those of us who are aware of it and to open the eyes of those who don’t.
I felt so bad for the family as they traveled. They fought so hard to stay together and lived such a dangerous life. Caring for a sick infant made everything so much more stressful. Fereiba doesn’t speak English, which is known widely enough to make a difference for them, so she has to rely on her teenage son for almost everything–a hard fact for a devoted mother trying to protect her children.
They stumbled on so many caring, helpful people though. Of course there were dangerous people who threatened them or tried to take advantage of them, but so many went out of their way to be kind. It was amazing.
I also liked that this made me more aware of the challenges surrounding refugees and immigrants. Some countries were so overwhelmed with the unending flood of people that they had become pretty heartless to the travelers’ plights. But what is the answer when there are so many people coming through your borders that you can’t track them all, much less find a way to help them feed and care for themselves? Some of the living situations were pretty dire.
If you enjoy reading about other cultures and being reminded how blessed your life really is, pick this one up.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me early access to the book in exchange for a review.
Read my review of Nadia Hashimi’s first book, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell.
Find author Nadia Hashimi on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Buy When the Moon is Low at
I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.
