The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
Read time: 4 Days
Rating: 4/5
The quote: What little men they are, she thought, to put women back in the burqa. She'd gotten so used to the sun that she vowed she'd die before ever hiding in the darkness again. Wearing a head scarf was one thing. She could almost understand it, if only because of tradition. But purdah—the full covering of women at all times in public—was another. — Halajan
I'm so frustrated with myself over The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. It took me 5 days of reading time to read this spread over 12 days, it should have taken me 3 at most. I was fine while I was reading it but there was a lull in the middle that made finding the inclination to read it difficult. Even at that point I initially stopped, I enjoyed the setting and the many perspectives. I think the lack of motivation may have stemmed partially from the time frames or possibly the lack of a coherent timeline and the time jumps between chapters. Once I came back to it I read the last 200+ pages in about 36 hours (including sleeping) so I clearly did enjoy it once I got back into it.
This is a book about women and I would say for women. The main characters of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul are the ones listed on the blurb. Americans Sunny and Candace, Afganis Halajan and Yasmina and British Isabel. The plot is driven not only by their relationships with each other and the events in Kabul but their relationships with the men around them. Sunny's with Tommy and Jack, Candace's with Wakil, Halajan's with Ahmet, Rashif and Bashir Hadi's almost paternal role over the coffee shop. This review is going to focus on the main cast because this is driven by them.
Sunny — The Proprieter
She handed gifts to Isabel, Candace, and Jack. And as she did, she felt truly happy. These new people were her people. So what that she'd only recently met these women. In their hearts they were all the same: women yearning for rich lives, someone to love and to love them in return, friends to laugh with, drink with and cry with. She had so much in common it was crazy, and she saw the world through the same eyes as Isabel. And, of course, Jack got under her skin.
38-year-old Sunny is the default narrator for the book, she is a Southern woman and the proprietress of the coffee shop. Sunny has lived and worked in Kabul for 6 years, she has an open relationship with her military contractor boyfriend Tommy. Tommy is gone more often there he is present but he spoils her when he is around. Sunny is the one with the big decisions and the book ends with her. I feel like the book feels like it is more tied to her than anyone else for the good and the bad. I appreciated her love of Christmas and her dedication to her people. Her choices were well backed and believable which to me is most important.
Yasmina — The Lost Soul.
"The moon is made round by the right hand of God.
The moon is crescent by his left hand.
But it is God's heart that
Make my love for you forever."
When we meet Yasmina she is being sold by her Uncle to cover his debts to the local warlords. Yasmina is maybe 20 (possibly not even that) she is a widow after her husband died fighting, she is carrying his child in Afghani culture this is very, very bad. Sunny meets her, figures out her condition and takes her in allowing her to work in the coffee shop and providing her with a roof over her head. Yasmina is a character of tragedy, sadness and then joy. Her journey is one of struggle and confusion until it is joy. She honestly doesn't believe she doesn't deserve anything. You can feel her desperation and her appreciation. I like her. I'm looking forward to seeing how different she is in book two.
Halajan — The Mother Hen.
"Shame does something to a man. It makes him forget those he loves. It makes a good man do bad things."
Halajan is the owner of the building the coffee shop is in, she works in the coffee shop and is a widow and mother of two adult children. Halajan has lived long enough to see the changes in the interpretation of the Koran and the culture in Afghanistan and longs for the old days when she was allowed freedoms. The Taliban's return means bad things for her and her ilk. She has several secrets that she has carried for many years that are revealed in the book, that change the course of lives. Halajan's arc is possibly my favourite of the 5. It's so complex in a way that I didn't expect she is torn between her son and the love of her life (the growth of her son Ahmet is endearing too). The writing for her is funny in a way I didn't expect to be, her reaction to changes over time is not dark. But it's interesting to see religious interpretation over time through the eyes of a woman who has experienced it.
Candace — The Wealthy American.
She raised her chin then, and forced her shoulders back, determined not to be a fool like so many other women who sat around and waited for something—someone—to make their lives worth living. Look at Sunny. Look at Isabel. though she'd only recently met them they were inspirations to her.
Candace is larger than life, a society wife when she lived in the US she has left her husband for her Afghani lover. Candace can be very, very abrasive event to those she likes and knows. She sometimes forgets who she is and is definitely unaware of the cultural rules and expectations broadly which is a stark contrast to the rest of the women. Candace has a gift for fundraising and raising awareness of a cause, she just needs the right cause a cause that is hers. She is that extremely odd one out character, the what are you doing here character. I quite liked Candace as a character she is relatable in her mistakes if not her financial situation. Let's all be honest most of us reading this would have no idea how to behave in Afghanistan or any other Islamic country.
Isabel — The Freelance Reporter.
"You will find the thing that makes you unafraid to die. That important thing that makes your life of value."
Freelance BBC reporter Isabel is struggling with a trauma acquired in the year prior to the book starting. It changed the way she looked at life. Her journey is more complicated is different to the others. Isabel reporting on poppy spraying but that changes after seeing something awful. She has a more relaxed attitude on being used and using people than the others. We meet her we Petr, a drug dealer and all kinds of interesting things. He's only a connection rather than a boyfriend which is what everyone first assumes. Isabel looks much younger than she is which is both good and bad in her career. I never quite knew what to make of Isabel, I liked her but something felt slightly off. I would have liked to know more about some of what she did in the gaps we weren't with her.
The Supporting Cast
"This is the real Islam, the Islam of love, not hate. Muhammad would be proud he thought." (Rashif)
Other than the main 5 most of the rest of the cast are men, at least the key supporting cast. They are diverse and opposites in various ways. Bashir Hadi is a minority religion and faces his own persecution, an opposite to Ahmet who is also employed by the coffee shop as a guard. Ahmet is the opposite to Rashif with severely different interpretations of the Koran (I think, it's the old vs the new). Jack and Tommy are similar in several ways but Jack is slightly more stable and understanding. Tommy is more flippant in his attitude. And there is a decent age gap. But you can see Sunny has a type, as is only right. Jack and Tommy and Bashir Hadi are the only characters I've given that are only characters that are not pov characters. I like the mix of male characters at least they are diverse on the surface. I'm not sure how deep it goes. As I said Ahmet has some spectacular growth that is so pleasing to read.
I do recommend this to people. If the blurb appeals to you try it. It is very readable and the diverse perspectives mean you are unlikely to get bored. There are some issues with the writing if you have issues with vague timing you may have some minor trouble but it really is quite a small issue. While I did have some delays with this I do intend on reading Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul it grows on the plots points started in this. For those in book clubs The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is popular with them I think partially due to its readability, slight otherness and ability to be a palate cleanser. Included are book club questions and recipes for a reading party (at least they are in my edition).
Look what love does, Rashif thought, as he pulled Ahmet’s sleeve down to be sure it fit properly at his wrist. It turned a serious boy into a generous man. This was the real Islam, the Islam of love, not hate. Muhammad would be proud, he though.
The Little coffee shop of Kabul, Deborah Rodriguez
as the cliché goes, life changes in an instant, that right when you think you know what’s next, how your life will be, something can happen to change it dramatically. The very reason to live and keep on living.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, par Deborah Rodriguez
Five men had just walked in, dressed in black, Foster Grants hiding their eyes, machine guns slung over their shoulders, sidearms hanging from their waists. She hadn’t seen such beautiful men in a long, long time. In another country they’d mean trouble. But here, she knew they were five tall lattes and a plate of biscotti.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, Deborah Rodriguez
