Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez (2011)

Another good one. This book helped me get a sense of what life is like in Afghanistan now or at least very recently. Sunny has opened up a coffee shop in Kabul, and though it was hard for me to fathom why an American woman would do so in such a dangerous place, where being a woman and a foreigner can be such a liability, but the story was finally convincing and very moving. I wasn't quite ready for another heavy book, and kept wondering if it was going to become a realistic bummer or have a reasonable happy ending. I think Rodrigues did a nice balancing act between the harsh realities of death, the abuse of women and children, the terrorist bombings AND the message of hope, friendship and love. I really enjoyed the evolving group of friends at the cafe. Starting with those working or living on the premises - there is Halajan, the widowed owner of the building, who likes to smoke in secret and wear jeans under her traditional dress and has a secret passion for her childhood friend the tailor; Halajan's traditional son Ahmet, who takes care of security at the cafe; Yazmina, who was kidnapped by drug lords from her uncle's house, but taken in by Sunny when she sees her at a government office and realizes Yazmina is pregnant (from her husband who has been killed) and has a very bleak future; and the local Afghani cook. The interesting visitors to the cafe include Isabel, a BBC reporter; Candace, recently divorced from a diplomat, mistress of a handsome Afghani; Jack, an American who knows many languages; Tommy, Sunny's boyfriend that drops in every so many months between assignments as a sniper; and others. The cafe is the place for foreigners to meet and sometimes drink wine out of the tea pots. Sunny throws these elaborate parties for Christmas, Easter and other holidays. But it is a time that the Taliban is regaining strength, and the Americans and other foreigners slowly pulling out. Definitely one to suggest to friends.