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THE TALIBAN CRICKET CLUB

Timeri Murari

Set in war-torn Kabul, a harrowing yet tender novel, THE TALIBAN CRICKET CLUB is the story of one woman’s courage and guile in the face of terror and tyranny.

Rukhsana is a spirited young journalist working for the Kabul Times in Afghanistan. She also takes care of her mother and her younger brother Jahan. Their quiet and tenuous way of life is shattered with the arrival of a summons for Rukhsana to appear before the infamous Ministry to Promote Virtue and Punish Vice. The Minister, Zorak Wahidi, has two things in mind: to threaten the traditionally anti-Taliban news reporters, and to announce the Taliban's intention to hold a cricket tournament, the winner of which will represent Afghanistan in the International Cricket Club. By the end of the meeting, he has a third desire: Rukhsana's hand in marriage. Driven into hiding and cloistered in a burqua, Rukhsana doesn't despair the Minister, without knowing it, has given her a way out. THE TALIBAN CRICKET CLUB is based on the real efforts of the Taliban to gain admission to the International Cricket Club in 2001. Timeri Murari is an award winning writer, filmmaker, and playwright, who began his career as journalist in Ontario, Canada. He writes for the Guardian, the Sunday Times, and other magazines and newspapers internationally. He has published both fiction and non-fiction, and his bestselling novel, TAJ, was translated into 19 languages and has recently been reissued by Penguin India. In 2006, he published a memoir, My Temporary Son, exploring the difficulties of adopting a desperately ill orphan. Timeri now lives with his wife in his ancestral home of Chennai, India.

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Book Published 2012-05-01 by Ecco/HarperCollins

Comments

A lovely, diverting and moving tale of contemporary Kabul, about love, courage, passion, tyranny and cricket. Murari has an uncommon tale to tell, and does so with imagination and empathy.

A beautifully written novel that takes the reader through the shrouded world of one woman whose only crime is being a woman.... I loved this riveting book.

Fans of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner will here find a similarly uplifting story about good people surviving their horrific circumstances. . . . Murari has crafted a tense, compelling story.

An engaging new novel. . . . Murari’s imagined tale of how a desperate group of Afghans seizes this opportunity to seek their freedom offers insights into the dangers, deprivations, passions, and aspirations of everyday Afghan life.

A thrilling climax and atypical story line (one that has roots in real life--the Taliban really did try to put together a cricket team in 2000) make this well worth a read.

A thrilling blend of adventure, romance, and danger, Murari’s novel will have readers rooting for Rukhsana and the brave team of boys she hopes to guide to victory and freedom.

A moving, splendidly realized story of courage and grit in modern-day Kabul. I was won over by Murari’s uplifting and vastly entertaining sporting tale, which reaffirms the power of friendship, fellowship, and love in the face of all forms of tyranny.