Review: A Cup of Friendship, by Deborah Rodriguez

The latest book by Deborah Rodriguez, A Cup of Friendship, is a sort of Steel Magnolias that takes place in Afghanistan. In fact, if you liked that movie, and are also interested in the experiences of women in the middle east, I can almost guarantee that you would enjoy this novel, and should in fact trot out and get it forthwith. If not, still consider reading it, because there are enough differences that might still make it worthwhile for your at least borrowing from the library (actually, I always recommend visiting your local library, because you never know what you might find there).

To be honest, I was slightly put of from picking up this book simply because of its title; it was a little too close to the cup of tea thing. (Unlike almost everyone else in the universe, it seems, I did *not* like the Greg Mortenson book, and as a result I admit to feeling a little smug when it came out a few months ago that he's a big, fat, liar-liar-pants-on-fire. So there.) However, after skimming a few pages, I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. There are several characters in the story, many of which had a story compelling enough to have her own complete novel, such as Yazmina, a pregnant young widow taken from her home to settle a debt who escapes her captors in Kabul, or Halajan, an older woman who is having a culturally-forbidden romance via letter with a man from her childhood, but the main character of 'Friendship' is Sunny, an American transplant who owns the small coffeshop in downtown Kabul that is the gravitational force for all the novel's characters. Sunny's main dilemma, unfortunately, is between two men, both of whom do mysterious 'danger pay' work for different governments with political interests in the country; I say unfortunately because in comparison to what the other characters are going through, Sunny's man-challenge is pretty basic. However, thankfully, this is not her sole purpose as a character, as the existence of the coffee shop itself is threatened daily by sectarian violence and the financial concerns that result, and she must work with her friends and the Afghani family she has cobbled together to raise money to keep the cafe open.

This probably all sounds like a pretty basic plot, and perhaps it is, but what is really compelling about the story is the characters themselves. Rodriguez, the author of the bestselling Kabul Beauty School, has lived in Kabul and thus knows the intricacies of the culture and those who must navigate the seemingly endless social requirements; her experience has helped her to create realistic, living characters that the reader can establish a relationship with. Especially interesting to me was her portrayal of the foreign presence, which was kind yet didn't flinch away from pointing out the patriarchical nature of the many parties with their hand in the Afghan pot. Also, Rodriguez includes the male perspective in this collaborative-narrator story, which is novel both in that men's thoughts aren't frequently included in women's literature, especially in any sort of believable fashion, and in that the men are Afghani, who typically do not share their thoughts with women. The author also delves into the dangerous dichotomy that is being a woman in Afghanistan; women are expected to bear sons for their husbands, yet if the husband dies while she is pregnant, she can be killed as a whore, and when the son grows up, he like any man can kill her for any perceived infraction of the social code.

Some of the characters in the story are more believable than others, and at times Rodriguez does slip into the easy-solution arena, exchanging some credibility for ease in making a point, setting a scene, or resolving a plot twist. It seems that she had scenarios in mind for each character arch, and perhaps didn't spend as much time thinking up ways to make these events happen in a totally believable fashion - there is one character in particular who has Money and Connections, and who greases the wheels of the plot with increasing frequency as the novel reaches its apex. Also, one of the male characters at the crux of the story makes his mental transformation in a little too perfect of a manner to be realistic, but it does tie up the plot nicely. To be utterly real, one of the characters would have had to kill at least one of the others; this would have changed the whole tone of the book and perhaps not worked out, either.

I do wonder, though, if the novel turned into something that Rodriguez hadn't intended in the beginning, because as the plot progresses, new characters are introduced that become increasingly integral to the story, while those present from the beginning aren't paid quite as much attention. It was increasingly clear that what Rodriguez really wanted to do was write a social commentary on Afghanistan culture, focused on its treatment of women, with a side plot on foreign involvement, and this novel is split between the relationship stories and the girlfriend-power let's-fix-it side. Interestingly, while the author is obviously critical of foreign involvement in the country, the main characters who are the driving force for positive change in the story are all foreign white women. Rodriguez herself was a foreigner in Kabul, providing women with training to better their lives, so perhaps it is only the geo-political military 'aid' she is truly critical of, but regardless the characters' claims that Afghan people should be left alone to run their own country seems contrary to the actual events in the story.

All in all, this was an excellent book that I enjoyed reading. The characters are likable and varied, the atmosphere interesting and realistic. There are a few plot-conveniences, but the resolution wasn't totally inconceivable. The glimpse into the culture of Afghanisan, particularly for those who haven't read much about the social norms there, makes the book worth the read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Interesting characters in a realistic environment, with a few questionable plot conveniences and a mixed political message.