The Lovers
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By Rod Nordland
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1 review
‘…a heartbreaking tale of illicit love and religious persecution. Rod Nordland seamlessly weaves the personal and the political in urgent, effortless prose to tell a story that is not only beautifully written but also vitally important for our times.’ Amanda Foreman, Chair of the Man Booker Prize
A riveting, real-life equivalent of The Kite Runner: A powerful and profoundly moving story of a young couple willing to risk everything for love.
""She is his Juliet and he is her Romeo, and her family has threatened to kill them both…""
This is the heartrending account of Zakia and Mohammad Ali, a couple from opposing Islamic sects, who defying their society’s norms have left behind everything they know and are quite literally risking their lives for their love.
She is a Sunni, he is a Shia, but as friends from childhood Zakia and Mohammad Ali could never have predicted that their love would anger their families so much that they would be forced to leave their homes finding refuge in the harsh terrain of the Afghani mountains. Without money or passports they rely on the kindness of strangers to house them for a couple of days at a time as they remain on the run, never deterred.
New York Times journalist, Rod Nordland, has chronicled the plight of the young lovers telling their extraordinary story of courage, perseverance and love in one of the world’s most troubled countries. This moving love story is told against the bigger backdrop of the horrific but widespread practices that women are subjected to in Afghanistan.
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"This is the love story of a girl and boy from different ethnic sects – Zakia is Sunni and Ali is Shia – who are forbidden to marry. As well as the story of The Lovers, I learned a lot about Afghan life. There are many accounts of horrendous treatment of women, but always presented in a factual and not gratuitous way. The author discusses journalistic ethics – by telling the lovers’ story, reporters have made it harder for their families to harm them – but where should they draw the line between reporting and getting involved?"
"Very explicit and at times harrowing account of modern Afghan society. As a reader I wanted a happy ending, but their story continues. Engaging and definitely a good read."
"A powerful story of love, against a background of violence, religion and misogyny. The author goes above and beyond the normal journalistic role to try to keep Kasia and Ali safe against the odds. A must-read."
