The Booking Mamas' May 2016 Meeting

Summary: Mahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power.

Mahmoud, a civil engineer, becomes a target of the new fundamentalist regime and is murdered. Forced to flee Kabul with her three children, Fereiba has one hope to survive: she must find a way to cross Europe and reach her sister's family in England. With forged papers and help from kind strangers they meet along the way, Fereiba make a dangerous crossing into Iran under cover of darkness. Exhausted and brokenhearted but undefeated, Fereiba manages to smuggle them as far as Greece. But in a busy market square, their fate takes a frightening turn when her teenage son, Saleem, becomes separated from the rest of the family.

Last night, our book club met to discuss WHEN THE MOON IS LOW by Nadia Hashimi. Most of us enjoyed the book, some more than others, but I will say that this novel definitely generated discussion. In fact, I think we discussed WHEN THE MOON IS LOW more than any book in recent memory. It didn't hurt that the situation of refugees is relevant in today's world. While we did talk for some time about the characters and their situations, the discussion eventually turned to current events.

A few of our members were a little let down by the ending -- one even threw her book. I guess you'd say that it was left open to interpretation, and some wanted a more definitive ending. I didn't mind how it ended, but I'll give more of my thoughts about the novel  when I get around to writing my review in a few days.

One thing we all agreed on is that the author did a good job with describing life in Afghanistan, both pre and post Taliban. It's still a little hard for us to believe how drastic the change was and how much it affected everyone in Kabul especially the women. We also agreed that the author created memorable characters that definitely captured our hearts. One member thought that there were a few things that were too pat (too trite if you will); however, I think the author was trying to convey the message that there is always good to be found even in the most horrific of circumstances...

Next month, we will be reading THE OTHER WIDOW by Susan Crawford. As a Book Club Girl Book Club, we had some fantastic choices but most of us agreed that THE OTHER WIDOW sounded intriguing. I love psychological suspense novels, and this book should be "book club" worthy given that it explores explores marriage and infidelity. I can't wait to read it!

Summary: The author of The Pocket Wife explores the dark side of love, marriage, and infidelity in this sizzling novel of psychological suspense. Everybody’s luck runs out. This time it could be theirs . . .

It isn’t safe. That’s what Joe tells her when he ends their affair—moments before their car skids off an icy road in a blinding snowstorm and hits a tree. Desperate to keep her life intact—her job, her husband, and her precious daughter, Lily—Dorrie will do everything she can to protect herself, even if it means walking away from the wreckage. Dorrie has always been a good actress, pretending to be someone else: the dutiful daughter, the satisfied wife, the woman who can handle anything. Now she’s going to put on the most challenging performance of her life. But details about the accident leave her feeling uneasy and afraid. Why didn’t Joe’s airbag work? Why was his car door open before the EMTs arrived? And now suddenly someone is calling her from her dead lover’s burner phone. . . . Joe’s death has left his wife in free fall as well. Karen knew Joe was cheating—she found some suspicious e-mails. Trying to cope with grief is devastating enough without the constant fear that has overtaken her—this feeling she can’t shake that someone is watching her. And with Joe gone and the kids grown, she’s vulnerable . . . and on her own.

Insurance investigator Maggie Devlin is suspicious of the latest claim that’s landed on her desk—a man dying on an icy road shortly after buying a lucrative life insurance policy. Maggie doesn’t believe in coincidences. The former cop knows that things—and people—are never what they seem to be.

As the fates of these three women become more tightly entwined, layers of lies and deception begin to peel away, pushing them dangerously to the edge . . . closer to each other . . . to a terrifying truth . . . to a shocking end. -- William Morrow