When the moon is low A novel

Hashimi's follow-up to her debut, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell (2014), is the powerful story of an Afghan family fleeing Taliban-controlled Kabul in the late 1990s. After her romantic dreams of marrying the boy next door are dashed, Fereiba is wed to the boy's cousin, an engineer named Mahmoud. The two are happy together until the Taliban's rise to power forces Fereiba to give up her job as a teacher. Mahmoud and Fereiba make plans to flee Kabul with their two children (a third is on the way), but before they can leave, the Taliban arrests Mahmoud. With no choice but to take her children and run, Fereiba begins a dangerous journey across Asia and Europe. Fereiba is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers and the ingenuity of her 15-year-old son, Saleem, until a run-in with Greek police officers separates him from his mother and siblings. With grace and sensitivity, Hashimi illuminates the harrowing odysseys and numerous dangers refugees contend with in their quest for a safe haven.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2015 Booklist

Returning to the setting of contemporary Afghanistan, Hashimi (The Pearl That Broke Its Shell) follows the childhood and maturity of Fereiba after her mother died in childbirth and her father remarries a woman who favors her own daughters. Perceived by neighbors as bad luck, Fereiba struggles to find a suitor. An unknown, Mahmood Waziri, enters the picture, and over time, the Waziri family comes to include son Saleem and daughter Samira. Fereiba relays the devastating effects the Taliban has on daily life in Kabul, especially after Mahmood is captured. Shortly after giving birth to a son, Aziz, an impoverished Fereiba, and her three children trek to Iran, then onward to Turkey attempting to join her stepsister Najiba in England. Later chapters are narrated by a teenage Saleem as he endures menial labor to support his family, notably an ailing Aziz. Through the kindness of locals, the family's journey takes them to Greece, where Saleem is detained, as the rest of the family continues. Hashimi masterfully captures Saleem's moving story as he squats in refugee camps, stealthily makes his way to Italy, and unexpectedly finds transport to France, all while haunted by loving memories of Mahmood. VERDICT Expertly depicting the anxiety and excitement that accompanies a new life, Hashimi's gripping page-turner is perfect for book clubs. [See Prepub Alert, 1/5/15.]-Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.