Pomegranate and Fig
Zaheda Ghani
Pomegranate and Fig
Zaheda Ghani
‘The women arrive first, on an afternoon like any other, when Henna is safely enclosed behind her desk at school. They come to start a conversation that is both taboo and a normal part of life. A small, intimate group … precious stones decorate their necks and fingers, the sond, embroidery, on their pantaloons and translucent veils catches the afternoon light. Their eyebrows are groomed into elegant curves. They float on a cloud of perfume to Henna’s family home.’
A deeply moving novel about tradition, love, war and the sorrow & hope exile will bring.
Tracing the lives of three young people, Henna, her brother Hamid, and a man who will become her husband, Rahim, this lyrical and evocative story reveals the political entanglements and family dynamics that are heightened and shattered by conflict. Taking us from the streets of Herat in the 1970s, invaded by Soviet forces, to India in the 1980s and then to the suburbs of Sydney, Pomegranate & Fig vividly illuminates the disruption, displacement and tragedy that war unleashes.
Shortlisted for the Richell Prize, this is an unforgettable debut that heralds an exciting new Australian literary voice.
Review
Aurelia Orr
Pomegranate andFig is a bittersweettale that follows the livesof three people who havelived through the Sovietinvasion of Afghanistanin the 1970s. Henna, ayoung woman anddaughter to a famousartist, is told to push aside her dreams ofbecoming a chemistry teacher in order tofocus on marriage and children. Herhusband, Rahim, is an older man who istorn between his duty as a prosecutor tokeep the streets of Herat clean from crimeand his commitment to keeping his family(and himself) safe. Henna’s brother, Hamid,is protective of his sister yet struggles withovercoming the traumas of his past. Butdespite the internal conflicts each characterfaces, their courage is put to the test when anew war begins and life as they know it willnever be the same again.
Reading this novel, your heart agonisesover the characters as they watch theirancestral home become unrecognisablebefore their eyes, witnessing the beauty oftheir culture, their religion and bonds withthe community crumble away with thearrival of foreign soldiers, the propagandaannounced every morning on the radio, andthe assassination of politicians who seemto be replaced more and more frequently.You experience every emotion as youwitness the heartache of leaving Herat, theescape to India, and then the hope thatSydney brings. It is a story that the author,Zaheda Ghani, holds close to her heart asher own family arrived in Australia fromAfghanistan as refugees in the 1980s.
But in defiance of this tragedy, it isheartwarming and uplifting to observe how Henna, Rahim, and Hamid’s faithnever waver, their love for each othernever weaken, and their devotion to theircountry never dwindle. This is a storyabout love and loss, the strength of familybonds in wartime, and learning to call anew place home.
Aurelia Orr is from Readings Kids
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