Her Book Self

I was first impressed with the clear storytelling voice of Deborah Rodriguez when I read her memoir Kabul Beauty School. Though that book was nonfiction, she proved her expertise with descriptive techniques and relating day to day occurrences in a fluid and interesting style. Knowing the quality of her writing ability, I was pleased to see Rodriguez try her hand at fiction in A Cup of Friendship, a novel that is equally as good as her debut work.

The story centers around Sunny, an American living and running a coffee shop in Afghanistan - a profession that Rodriguez also held while living there. Sunny meets and takes in a young woman named Yazmina, who is a pregnant widow, a condition seen as shameful in a culture where husbands rule the households. Also entering the story is Halajan, a mother with a rebellious streak and a hidden love of her own; Isabel, a journalist from England; and Candace the wealthy American divorcee. In the setting of a country where women have little voice, the stories of these characters merge together and artfully intertwine.

A Cup of Friendship is a wonderful story about making a difference in the lives of others and how every person has influence and gifts to better the world around them. It is a book about love, family, independence, tradition, and of course, friendship. Rodriguez proves that fiction or non, she knows how to capture the spirit of Afghanistan on paper, and in either genre, she draws from her life experiences to compose a compelling and powerful book.

An advance review copy of this work was provided by LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.  This review represents my honest and unbiased opinions.  A Cup of Friendship is on sale January 25, 2011.