BOOK REVIEW - The Little Coffee House of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez

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 The Little Coffee House of Kabul

Deborah Rodriguez

                                                    Goodreads

The little coffee shop in Kabul is always brimming over with customers – men in Western suits, in shalwar kameezes and turbans and a handful of women, mainly foreigners.

Sunny, its proprietor, has made the shop her own by instituting her own traditions like Christmas and Easter, and the people of Kabul discover a warm space there. Halajan, the sixty-year-old lady, full of ancient Afghan wisdom, who helps Sunny, and her surly traditionalist son, Ahmet, form part and parcel of the shop, along with Bashir Hadi, the chef who also doubles up as Sunny’s advisor and protector.

When the beautiful Yazmina arrives in Kabul, traumatized and trembling, Sunny takes her in and gave her a job at the coffee shop.

Candace, a wealthy American, and Isabel, an intrepid journalist, meet at the coffeeshop and strike up an unlikely friendship, plagued by unhappy love affairs and unsavoury partners. Amidst the blasts and the unease that hang over Kabul, these five women forge a bond that keeps them together through thick and thin.


Halajan is the mother figure, but there is more to her than meets the eye as she strives to keep her past life and her love a secret. Ahmet, her son, refuses to leave her and go to America because he feels that he has an obligation towards his family and his heritage.

Jack, Rashif, Wakil and Tommy have their parts to play in a saga that needs to be kept under wraps in a place as dangerous as Kabul. When bomb blasts go off in the city, the lives of the women teeter on the brink of danger, but it is also the time for relationships to be broken, rejuvenated and celebrated.

The book talks about Afghan traditions and the mindset of the Afghan men towards their women, the rivalry between different cultures and the unforgettable fact that it is always the men who make the decisions. As Bashir Hadi puts it bitterly, “The only thing that makes the Afghan cry is war and hunger and losing an arm in a blast, and… people who only think about themselves.” 

Sunny is the driving force behind the story which follows her timeline. She is the catalyst who brings all the others together, in moments of loss and sorrow, happiness and fulfilment. She loves Kabul, and her little coffeehouse. She remains optimistic “Because each of her friends in Kabul was a seventh dove, the one with the spirit that rose to the heavens.”

This is a heartwarming tale of sisterhood, of bonding and of survival. The style is simple, allowing the story to progress at an even pace. The cover is especially attractive in pleasing hues and makes the reader want to pick it up, always a good ploy. Besides, there are recipes, an author interview and questions at the end of the book that add to its appeal. The blurb on the cover says it all.

‘As if Maeve Binchy had written The Kite Runner’ -  Kirkus Reviews

There couldn’t be a more compelling endorsement than that!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

   
                                              Random House                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

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