NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

This is the third and final instalment in ‘The Little Coffee Shop’ series. It is centered around one family at the time of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Sunny Tedder has returned to Kabul eight years after she left to reunite with her Kabul family. The original coffee shop is now a women’s shelter and is run by Yazmina. She is looking forward to a bright future for her family. Her sister Layla is becoming a prominent women’s rights activist. She has harnessed the power of social media and is becoming quite the celebrity. She has plans for the future. Yazmina’s mother-in-law, Halajan, is breaking out the traditional role of women in Afghanistan and is forging her own path. Then rumours of the approaching Taliban begin to circulate. Halajan and Yazmina have lived through Taliban occupancy but dismiss the rumours. Layla has only known peace and freedom and believes they cannot take away their freedoms. As the US troops begin to withdraw, their fears are realised as the Taliban begin to regain control of the country at frightening speed and quickly advance on Kabul. It becomes a race against time to get everyone to safety. This is a story of friendship and courage. At a time when suspicion is rife and people are trying to save themselves, who can you trust.
I read this book seven months ago and it is still with me. We have seen the news reports and the documentaries around the withdrawal of troops but this book, while being a work of fiction, leaves you wondering what happened to the people left behind. The people left waiting for the knock on the door – if they’re lucky. The sudden and dramatic change in lifestyle and the environment of fear they now live in.