A review by in2reading
The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi

4.0

This young adult novel was written by a woman born to Afghan parents. Although she was not raised in Afghanistan, her background and her time as a foreign news correspondent in Kabul for almost 5 years give the culture portrayed in this story credibility. That is scary because some facets of the culture are harsh and cruel. Both of the main characters are disfigured and humiliated during their young lives, and several other characters are murdered. There are also loving and understanding characters portrayed, but I admit to feeling very sad about the lives of the Afghan people and the competing inflexible cultural and religious forces in their lives. This is not for the faint of heart but provides a small window on a society that operates very differently from Western norms.