A review by sarah_dietrich
The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad

4.0

I enjoyed Seierstad's The Bookseller of Kabul in a bittersweet way - it was interesting, I learnt a lot and I liked the writing, and my heart aches for the people of Afghanistan. I can never know whether Seierstad has given us a balanced look at the bookseller and his family, but I did find myself both sympathising with and raging against many of the characters. The family situation is so delicate and complicated, there is no simple fix for the challenges they face. The oppression of women is terrifying.