The Lovers: Rod Nordland

This was very well written and I am glad the author included his exasperation with the lovers. He seemed equal part dealing with teenagers and herding cats for as much as Ali listened to his advice. The author did a really good job in showing us a different culture; both in the mentality behind honor killings, the corruption in people, and the way illiteracy keeps people ignorant and robs them of opportunity. In the story two teenagers, Zakia and Ali, consider the possibility of falling in love. They had been neighbors growing up and grazed their families animals together. One day Ali tells Zakia he loves her and she tells him it's impossible. They come from different tribes, different religious sects, and in their culture the fathers choose the spouse. He then joins the military and while he is gone she ponders the proposal. She decides she loves him and when she goes to tell him she accepts she finds he is gone. He gets into a vehicle accident while on assignment and is sent back home to heal. He gives Zakia a phone and they start talking, he then comes to her house every night until he is caught and the families both beat up their children threatening them that it cannot be. Zakia's parents tell her up front that they will kill her if she dishonors the family. They run off together and after spending 6 months in a woman's shelter Zakia realizes her parents will in fact kill her when given the opportunity. The lovers escape to the hills and then to Kabul living off the kindness of strangers without really considering the danger they bring to everyone they stay with. Along the way they get married and Zakia gets pregnant. The author gets them some contacts in order to file as refugees and get out of the country and saves them numerous time. The lovers are told specifically what to do and never seem to do exactly what they are told so everything is much harder than it needs to be. They were told to take their case to court in the big city of Kabul, but it isn't until Ali is arrested that they finally do and the court sides on the favor of Ali and Zakia so charges are dismissed. They are then told to go to Pakistan to file as refugees so they can escape to another country, but they don't. After living on donations from strangers and putting Ali's father further into debt they are finally convinced to go to Tajikistan, where they lose the rest of their money by repeatabily being robbed by the corrupt police. They make it back to Afghanistan and move back in with Ali's father where 18 people live in their 4 room home. Zakia gives birth to their daughter Raqia and the family pressures Ali and Zakia to finally listen and get to another country because they will never be safe. Zakia's brother was seen in town once winter was over and the family knows it is just a matter of time. The story ends with them (Ali) still deciding what to do.