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.