City of Widows by Nadia Hashimi

“If we never see a woman do anything but marry and have children, it’s easy to believe that is all we can do. Woman have all kinds of jobs in Kabul and other cities. I want my….”

Marjan paused, unsure if she should say more. Her eyes fell on her daughter’s sneakers by the apartment door.

“My daughter to know she can choose what she wants do with her life.”

- Marjan, City of Widows

City of Widows by Nadia Hashimi is the powerful and engaging story of Marjan, a female soldier in the Afghan military Female Tactical Platoon (FTP), and her daughter Hawa, as they attempt to leave Kabul, Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover in 2021. The American troops are withdrawing, the weak Afghan government has collapsed, and the Taliban is asserting their power and influence again. They implement strict rules that stop and regress any progress that was made in the prior years.

City of Widows is a dual timeline story. Chapters alternate between Marjan and Hawa’s current plight with Marjan’s early years leading up to her joining the FTPs. Unfortunately Marjan’s life is a realistic example of what women suffer through - from poverty, abusive marriage and, because she chose to leave that marriage, the marginalized position women face when they choose themselves over societal norms. Marjan worked hard to give Hawa a good life and her journey to escape the repression the Taliban brought with their resurgence is a great example of courage under fire. Other themes include sisterhood, resistance and resilience.

This was a highly interesting story that had me invested almost immediately. I say almost because the beginning was a bit confusing - introducing many characters, giving a bit of information on each before smoothing out. Also, the blurb reads like it will be the story of three women, Marjan, Soraya and Mina, when really it’s Marjan’s story with Soraya and Mina being secondary characters. Again, you glean some of their own personal stories but the focus is never really on them.

Afghan women joining their country’s military and partnering with their American counterparts to flush out Taliban members before the collapse of Afghanistan’s government is a little-known part of the larger history of America’s involvement in the country. For me, novels that bring this kind of history to light provide education and transparency about stories that, for whatever reason, are often glossed over. In this case, perhaps it is because these women went so strongly against the expectations of their culture that their contributions are viewed as an embarrassment rather than an inspiration.

City of Widows will be available July 28th.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.