Parveen Shams, the Afghan-American protagonist of Amy Waldman’s engrossing novel, A Door in the Earth (Little, Brown and Company), is four months shy of graduation from UC Berkeley and struggling with an existential crisis—how to fashion a meaningful life. Her apparent salvation lies in her Afghan heritage and in a book. After reading Mother Afghanistan, a widely-hailed memoir by Gideon Crane, in which he describes his efforts to save women in a remote Afghan village from dying in childbirth by establishing a modern women’s clinic, Shams recognizes a means to satisfy her restless spirit, give back to her country of origin, and inaugurate a life of public service. Despite the ongoing war, she sets off for Afghanistan, but quickly learns that viewing Afghanistan through the prism of Crane’s memoir has many pitfalls. A riveting and timely read, Waldman’s experience covering Afghanistan as a New York Times reporter and South Asia bureau chief, lends credence to her vivid characters and lyrical narrative.
Published: NYCitywoman.com
Published: NYCitywoman.com