Under the Persimmon Tree

UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE: Suzanne Fisher Staples: Farrer Straus and Giroux (2005): Young Adult: 275 pages

Suzanne Fisher Staples tells two parallel stories in this novel. Najmah, a young Afghan girl, is alone after losing her mother, father, and brother because of the Taliban. Nusrat is an American woman, converted to Islam and married to an Afghan doctor who trained in the United States. She is running a school in Peshawar, Pakistan for children who have been displaced by the conflict with the Taliban. Nusrat and Najmah’s stories converge when Najmah, disguised as a boy, goes to Pakistan to find the lost members of her family.

The author includes a lot of local customs and history in the novel as well as information about Islam and the Taliban’s repression of women. The stories of both characters are interesting and we need books that bring the realities of this part of the world to our attention. Nusrat’s story is tenderly told and her love and affection for her adopted culture and country are affecting. I was disappointed that the novel doesn’t tie up the stories in the end. I’ve waited years for Staples to take up the unsettled ending of Haveli and finish the story. I’m afraid we might have another long wait to see what happens to Najmah and Nusrat.

SH