Like how, after the mujahideen had driven the country into violence and chaos, there was no one left to feed the animals in the zoo, and many of them died of hunger. I was surprised that I still remembered much of the first book considering I’m heading into my 4th year of university. And then there is Zara, who is about to be forced into a marriage with devastating consequences, even for Halajan's family. In Afghanistan a young girl is trying to escape an arranged marriage to an evil, rich man – something that has disastrous consequences for herself and her newfound friends.

Providing no real challenge to the reader, this was a good, comfortable read that ties up any loose plot ends. Despite her growing friendship with Layla, she refuses to agree with Layla’s beliefs, particularly in regards to the hijab.I have never read a book about Kabul and having so many different types of people all in one book was very universal, inclusive and felt real to today. Together, these five women set out to change their lives, and the lives of women in Afghanistan, for ever. This was a book about finding a place where you belong, about clashes of culture and beliefs, and importantly, about the lives of Afghan women in contemporary Afghan society. While you will be eager to know what will happen next, thanks to Zara who maintains this feeling throughout the book, the previous characters of Sunny and Yazmina won't appeal to you that much. On the other hand, Yazmina and the others reveal to the reader how difficult and dangerous life is for the Afghanistan natives, especially for the women who have very little rights.

But I like them in the way that they are driven entirely by women, that is not something I read a lot.The protagonist from the previous book, Sunny, is getting off a boat to reach a vineyard at a remote Island, which Jack has left to her in his will. But before they got far with her, long before they could reach Kabul, where she would have been sold to the highest bidder to be his third or fourth wife, or forced into a life of slavery or prostitution, this strange western man dressed in a shalwaar kameez, with eyes that sparkled like blue ice and a voice that spoke with calm authority, appeared like a hero in a Bollywood movie and whisked her away and into the arms of her beloved sister. Women are able to go to university, work in most areas, and there is a certain freedom of speech for many. She is has blended into the local population and taken the traits of a contemporary American girl, shunning her Afghani roots her hatred for Afghani roots leads her to judge Layla harsher than anyone else.