3.7 Stars

2006 

The book is the story of three girls from Tali village in Afghanistan – Kowsar, Geesu, and Simin. It is inspired by true stories. 

Told from multiple POVs, it showcases how the lives of innocent and not-so-innocent villagers change as power corrupts those in authority and the Taliban takes over. Most importantly, it shows how girls and women are the ones who suffer yet display courage, hope, and love. 

I kept postponing the book as I knew it would be a triggering read. I wasn’t wrong. This is dark, disturbing, and brutal. 

TW:

child rape, child abuse, child murder, murder, domestic abuse, violence, murder. 

 

I wish I could say this doesn’t happen. 

I wish I could say the author wrote for the Western audience. 

I wish I could say the author exaggerated the brutality. 

I wish I could say this is just fiction. 

I wish I could say I don’t believe any of it. 

I cannot. I will not. 

This is a hard book. There is very little hope much like the situation in present-day Afghanistan where new laws are imposed on women. Still, there are a few scenes that fill our hearts with love and make us pray the characters get what they want. 

It presents the life of villagers, the threats they face, the decisions they make, the momentary lapse of judgment, the goodness that pays the price, etc. The Baluch also have minor yet important roles. 

Despite the gut-wrenching situations, I couldn’t help but love the descriptions of the land, the open space, the clean air, the valley, the hills, and the beauty that slowly got tainted by human greed and lust for power. 

The references to the role of the US in the country have to be mentioned. What did the big brother do? Well, we know what they didn’t do when they should have! Now, they are focusing on Bangladesh. The Nobel Peace Prize winner as prime minister is actively encouraging the genocide of Hindus. Great job, guys! 

The only drawback is the way the book has been formatted and structured. I hope they structured the final copy properly. 

I’m not sure about the translation since some sentences sound odd. With no chapter titles, there is no way to know which POV we are reading and whose. Kowsar, Simin, Geesu, and another character get first-person POVs. The others get third-person POVs. The shifts are random and without proper headers, it is hard to track the narration. Moreover, with parallel storylines, the narrative sometimes shifts between timelines. 

I was surprised when the book ended the way it did. But I reread the last dialogue and found it apt. This story only pauses before it continues. 

To summarize, Tali Girls is not an easy read and has many triggers but it does tell the story you need to know. If you want something hopeful or gentle, stay away from this one. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Archipelago, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #TaliGirls