Scan barcode
A review by extravagantly
The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.25
i’ve recently been on an adventure with afghani media / media about afghanistan, and i believe this was a good addition to my roster—although it took me a minute to read.
i understand why the author never talked about how she interacted with the members of the family, though i wish she did. something like “i witnessed this all beneath my burka.” or “the visitors of sultan talked unawares a norwegian reporter—a woman at that—sat listening just one room over.” idk im not the author but as a reader i’m curious how she heard some conversations. i know she said about of it was told to her but she also mentioned being present for some. it would’ve appeased some of my curiosity
i also liked how the author didn’t insert her own opinions either. there was one part i can’t quite remember off the top of my head where i felt a bit of the authors voice, but i feel like us as readers were all thinking the same thing anyway; “this is crazy.” by leaving out her voice, i was able to really put myself in the minds of these people and try to rationalize their pov. one of the things i like to do when reading books like this is really get in the mindset of the charas/people, assume they’re morally correct, and once the book is over digest their actions. it make it a lot easier when the author isn’t making their opinions known
anyways, i highly recommend this book if, like me, you are on a hunt to read about more POVs and societies you hear almost nothing about
i understand why the author never talked about how she interacted with the members of the family, though i wish she did. something like “i witnessed this all beneath my burka.” or “the visitors of sultan talked unawares a norwegian reporter—a woman at that—sat listening just one room over.” idk im not the author but as a reader i’m curious how she heard some conversations. i know she said about of it was told to her but she also mentioned being present for some. it would’ve appeased some of my curiosity
i also liked how the author didn’t insert her own opinions either. there was one part i can’t quite remember off the top of my head where i felt a bit of the authors voice, but i feel like us as readers were all thinking the same thing anyway; “this is crazy.” by leaving out her voice, i was able to really put myself in the minds of these people and try to rationalize their pov. one of the things i like to do when reading books like this is really get in the mindset of the charas/people, assume they’re morally correct, and once the book is over digest their actions. it make it a lot easier when the author isn’t making their opinions known
anyways, i highly recommend this book if, like me, you are on a hunt to read about more POVs and societies you hear almost nothing about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Violence
Moderate: War