THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE

Escaping the turmoil and heartbreak of war-torn Kabul, Raihana settles with distant relatives in the strange, cold, damp country of Denmark. Homesick and heartbroken, Raihana bravely attempts to start a new life, trying hard not to ponder the fate of the husband who was taken prisoner by the Taliban and never heard from again.

Soon after arriving, Raihana finds herself in a language school, struggling to learn Danish, which she thinks sounds like the buzzing of bees. To improve her speaking skills, Raihana apprentices herself to Gunnar, a recent widower who is steadily withdrawing from the world around him, even neglecting the bee colonies he worked so hard to cultivate with his late wife. Over the course of the bee season, Raihana and Gunnar forge an unlikely relationship, despite the disapproval of their respective friends and relatives.

But when the violence Raihana thought she had left behind in Afghanistan rears its head, she and Gunnar are both forced to confront the ghosts of the past as they navigate the uncertain future.

EDITIONS

Release: December 2007 (Trade Pbck Original)
ArtPeople/PeopleGroup, Denmark (2008)
Luitingh-Sitjoff, The Netherlands (2008)

Raihana put a finger into the hive and the warmth inside shot through her finger. She put her finger in her mouth and the flavor of honey exploded. It was like waking up, she thought giddily.

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