There are many words to describe this novel: poignant, charming, sad, original, thought-provoking. It certainly is all of these things.

Its setting is quite different from anything I’ve read before and in a culture worlds away from my own.

Miriam is a young woman who leaves her native Scotland for married life in Afghanistan. After her husband’s (Jawad) tragic death and with a young son to look after, she marries her second husband, Iqbal. Jawad’s memory and Iqbal’s own inner conflict rock her marriage from its foundations, and Miriam has to fight to save it.

Whilst I can’t imagine why Miriam would abandon her modern life in Scotland for one of such basicness in an Afghan village is beyond me (even for love). It’s a very stark contrast, but that in itself is what makes Miriam such a strong character. Despite the cultural differences, despite the death of her first husband, despite the Islamic constraints, despite the attitude towards women, despite her second husband’s own troubles, she is resolute and determined to make her life and her commitment to her new surroundings work. I like her persistence and her honesty.

The 1990s Afghan conflict is stranded through the story, and Afghan life and culture brought vividly to our attention. I concluded that it’s really not very desirable: I’m quite happy with my own flushing toilets, running water, and my own bedroom, thank you. BUT, if it as bleak as the author portrays, it was an interesting, if somewhat distressing, insight.

Although I would have preferred a slightly more assertive ending, I enjoyed this unusual story. I would also have liked to read this after some professional editing to trim some frayed edges. Despite that, it’s a recommended read.
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*The author provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review which follows*

It all begins in Scotland –

While in college studying midwifery in her native Scotland, Margaret meets the dashing and mysterious Jawad, an Afghan engineering student. There is an immediate connection between the two and Margaret follows her heart falling head over heels in love with Jawad. They visit Afghanistan together and Margaret fearing she will lose Jawad to his homeland, proposes to him knowing the cultural roadblocks that lay ahead for the two of them. Jawad’s parents do not approve of the marriage. They finally agree that if the two can be separated for one year and still feel the same about each other they will give their permission for the couple to marry.

Meanwhile, back in Scotland, Margaret changes her name to Miriam and converts to Islam. For Miriam, this is a decision that immerses her into the Muslim culture of her future husband. After a year, Miriam and Jawad are reunited and married. Eventually, Jawad and Miriam have a son together named, Farid. Life is challenging for Miriam as she struggles to learn the language and customs of her new homeland but her love for Jawad is unwavering.

And ends far from home…

When Miriam’s father becomes ill, she takes Farid and heads back to Scotland so her father can meet his grandson. Upon her return, traveling through Pakistan on her way back to Afghanistan, Jawad’s brother informs her that Jawad has been killed. Miriam knows none of the details of Jawad’s death. All she knows is that the love of her life and her son’s father is gone. Broken by the news, Miriam knows she can’t go back to the home that Jawad and she shared as a single woman with a child. Cultural norms won’t allow it.

It is during this time in Pakistan that Miriam meets Iqbal, a doctor who is in need of a wife in order to go back to his home in Afghanistan. Culturally, it is imperative that men of Iqbal’s age be married, especially since he is a doctor/paramedic. The two enter into an arranged marriage of sorts, although they share a deep love for Afghanistan and its people. Miriam longs to stay in Afghanistan to raise Farid in his native land and marrying Iqbal seems to be the logical way to stay in the county.

What transpires is a love story steeped in the cultural differences of strict Islamic traditions, customs, and beliefs which lead Miriam and Iqbal on a mission of self-discovery to find themselves and their own true love and happiness.

Recommendation:

I was excited to read this book because I have a close friend serving overseas in Afghanistan. Culturally, I knew nothing of the country or the traditions. I only had a fundamental knowledge of Islam so I knew this was going to be a book like no other I had ever read. My assumptions were correct and I was immediately immersed into Miriam’s world. I cried with her, laughed with her, and at times tasted the grit of blowing sand feeling as if I was walking in her footsteps.

As I began reading this novel, I realized that I had to set aside my own belief system and embrace those of the people of Afghanistan. Many of the characters struggled with this same dilemma. When Miriam attended a school to brush up on medical training she met a female German doctor who was amazed at the way the Afghani women were treated by their husbands and even their own families. It was a hard lesson to learn that some things are so deeply rooted in tradition they cannot be changed. After traveling the world a bit myself; I realized that we all have cultural differences so it was not a stretch for me to embrace the people of Afghanistan.

This novel is written from the unique perspective of the author, Mary Smith, using her own observations and experiences while living and working in Afghanistan in the 1990’s. The sights and sounds of the bazaars came alive for me through powerful descriptions that made me feel like I was right there bartering for goods beside Miriam. I longed to try some of the foods and would have loved to have experienced the rich tea that was served several times a day.

The book is written from the perspective of Miriam and then of Iqbal in alternating chapters. I believe this gives the reader a chance to delve into the personalities of the pair as separate people who are also a couple. It is a deep character study of the choices people make in life and the consequences of their choices. I found that I could relate to Miriam’s and Iqbal’s experiences in many ways in my own life.

For those of you who follow my reviews, you know how emotionally vested I get in characters who come across as real individuals. These characters leaped from the pages of the book into my heart. Remember, deep down this is the story of renewal and of finding true love, which just goes to show you that true love has no cultural boundaries.

Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 4.5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 4.5 out of 5 stars ( )

No more Mulberries is a novel which completely changed my hazy, ignorant view of Afghanistan. Miriam, its narrator, describes life in the 1990s as a “foreign” wife of an Afghan doctor in the small village of Sang-i-Sia. Her frank account of her commitment to the country and determination to make her marriage work, despite cultural differences and the troubles of civil war, make you feel that you are reading a letter from a close friend.

The book gradually reveals that Miriam was originally Margaret, a Scottish midwife, whose meeting with an Afghan student lead her to visiting the country and conversion to Islam. Her story is sad and she struggles with the practicalities of everyday life with few western luxuries, but the central conflict is the role of women in Afghanistan. In her job she tries to improve the lot of women with no education but she also has friends who have achieved a degree of independence within their marriages.

Worried by the way her husband Iqbal has changed since they returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, she realises that he is deeply concerned about his reputation and that her, “unacceptable behaviour,” will cause him to lose face amongst his peers. As a boy he had suffered from leprosy, causing people to fear him and not give him respect. In his role as a doctor he has earned acceptance but an event, which occurred during his childhood, haunts his dreams.

The details of everyday life in an Afghan home are fascinating, including delightful vocabulary, such as, “Unrolling the dustakhan over the striped gillim on the living room floor,” and, “sitting crossed-legged on the toshak.” The kindness and generosity shown to foreigners such as Miriam and her family are evident in the hospitality and friendship she experiences. And yet this is against a background of murder and conflict.

What I especially like about Mary Smith’s writing is that every word counts. We are given details, when they are needed, to explain the plot or describe the setting but time is not wasted. She moves on to the next event swiftly, highlighting it with portentous remarks such as, “Oh, Jawad, what have I done?” No More Mulberries is a significant contribution to the understanding of another culture but it is also a really enjoyable book to read.
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Life as an expat wife in Afghanistan.

This was quite an unusual slant on the Afghan novel, drawing on the author's experiences of living in Pakistan and Afghanistan, training female volunteer health workers.

Eve is Scottish by birth, but her first husband was Afghani and she had fallen in love with the country. When he is tragically killed, she finds herself adrift with a young son. Desperate to remain in Afghanistan, Eve is happy to accept the proposal of marriage from a young Afghan doctor, Iqbal, who takes her and her son to live in his village and set up a clinic for women.
The book opens with her battling his decision to stop her teaching English to two young boys because it might bring shame to his house. She misses the relative freedom she had become used to in town and finds living in his village very restrictive.
When an opportunity arises for her to attend a training camp as a translator, Eve is keen to go but Iqbal won't hear of it. He is overruled by the camp's director and steamrollered into letting her attend.

The book follows Eve's experiences at the camp and her subsequent decision to visit her first husband's grave.
It is a fascinating insight into the lives of Afghan women, their lives and opinions. I'd really like to follow up with Mary's other book, the semi-autobiographical, Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni, which concentrates more on the individuals that she met during her time in Afghanistan. ( )

No More Mulberries by Mary Smith

Set in rural Afghanistan, Miriam is married to an Afghan Doctor. She takes a job as a translator at a medical teaching camp. Her husband is not happy about her decision. British Born Miriam is trying to adapt to her new home, is haunted by her past, and still holding onto fond memories of her late husband. With troubles in her current marriage Miriam is at a cross-roads in her life. She must do some soul searching and make some tough decisions if she wants to save her marriage.

A well written story of love, loss, devotion, divided loyalties, redemption and hope. Miriam is a nice woman, but her feeling for her late husband interfere with her current life. She is flawed and torn, which makes her human and real. I like that in the story. Miriam and her husband both have secrets, secrets that neither want to face, but must to keep their marriage together.

The Afghanistan setting makes for an interesting read, seeing how a different culture/country (from my own) live. Set in the 1990's also adds to the intense drama as the approaching conflict with the Taliban reaches Afghanistan. Overall I found No More Mulberries to be heart-felt, dramatic, and very memorable. I strongly recommend to those who like (emotional) dramatic/love-story. Fantastic. ( )