‘my soul is from elsewhere and I intend to end up there.’
Like many of you who are book lovers like I am, I’ve been doing a lot of reading over this past year. I find my interest keeps changing genres, and many books I’m loving right now are easier, more fun-loving books, and that’s ok. I let myself be drawn to my next read by way of how I’m feeling in the moment and being open minded, letting it happen organically. And that’s how I came upon this book. Every once in a while a book comes along that you know will capture your heart. For me that book was Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi. This is a new author for me and I’m so glad I stumbled upon her. Her writing is stunning with so many beautiful sentences. By far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, the story draws you in immediately and is so beautifully written, it sometimes reads like poetry. I couldn’t put it down because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, yet I tried to slow down my reading because I wanted to savour the story.
The story is about an Afghan America woman who returns to Kabul, Afghanistan after 3 decades to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that happened to them. The novel is written in the first person voice, so it reads very much like a true story. The main character, 10-year old Sitara, grows up in Kabul, in a privileged family. Her father is the president’s most trusted advisor, and the families are so close, Sitara not only calls the President of Afghanistan her Uncle, but they also live in the palace with the President’s family, people she considers to be her cousins and Aunt and Uncle. In 1978, Sitara’s world is shattered when a communist coup leads to the assassination of her entire family. She is the only survivor and is smuggled out of the palace by one of the soldiers. Sitara’s journey leads her to the home of a female American Diplomat, Antonia, who manages to safely get her out of Afghanistan and to the United States, and later adopts her.
Thirty years later, Sitara, now a renowned oncologist surgeon, is thrown back in time when an elderly patient shows up in her exam room. Someone she had pushed deep into the back of her memory, and someone she thought she’d never see again – Shair, the soldier who smuggled her out of the palace but who also may have murdered her entire family.
This is a story that focuses on people and emotion and complex characters. Exactly what I love when it comes to historical fiction. In the beginning, the story reminded me of the story of Princess Anastasia Romanov and the assassination of her family, and sure enough, later in this novel, Satira compares her life’s circumstances with this woman. In Sparks Like Stars, the story is propelled forward 30 years later, where Satira finds the courage to find out why her family was murdered. This is a story of learning of who we are when we stop running away. Realizing she needs to find out the truth behind what really happened to her family, Sitara finds herself back in Kabul, Afghanistan, now a country she no longer recognizes with its fundamentalism and corrupt government.
Sparks Like Stars has it all. It’s suspenseful, heartbreaking and full of hope. A story of reinventing yourself in order to stay hidden and survive that turns into one of coming out of hiding to find out the truth.
I can’t wait to read Hashimi’s other books. I just love her style of writing.
‘While I slumber, you are open-eyed
I am naiive but you are ever wise
I lie in rest, and yet you travail
Your glimmering love set to prevail.
When the clouds in the sky break away,
Wink, my Star, and light the day