What a powerful Book ! it tells of the awful life many Women & Girls still live & have in many rural parts of the world who's menfolk refuse to allow them to enter the 21st Century! They also twist the words of their religious beliefs to justify how the Women are treated & sadly because of this so many of these young girls & women commit Suicide because for them Death by any means is far less torturous than the life they may have to face , often being married as young as 15 years of age & even sometimes younger once they have had their first blood Loss they are deemed fit to marry & bare a man Sons.
There were also other stories twisted between the lines of the main story , of men who have to fight & are posted to the highest outpost of up to 21, 000 feet & of amazing search & rescue Dogs ( mainly German Shepherds) or in the case of this book a Wolf Dog called Malika who helped her caring Soldier & his companion survive a horrific Avalanche!
I think this book should be read in every English Literature Class in every High School to make our young Women & Men realise how fortunate they are ! #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Amazon.co.uk, #Instagram,# <img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>..

Sadly, I had to DNF this one around 40% of the way in.

I truly appreciate the book's attempt to address important themes of suppression and violence, both within cultural norms and in the broader context of the natural world. The potential for exploration was promising, but unfortunately, the writing style made it difficult for me to fully appreciate.

The vivid descriptions of culture and nature were beautiful, but this level of description permeated every aspect of the story, which led to it feeling a bit overwritten. I feel that some editing could have helped the more significant moments shine brighter.

One of the things I enjoy most about reading is immersing myself in lives different from my own, but sadly, the writing style made it challenging to fully engage with the story in this way.

Despite my experience, I will keep an eye out for more from this author in the future. I see the potential in this novel and genuinely feel disappointed that it didn't click for me this time around.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this after 20% of the way in, I just had absolutely no interest in what was happening and I was finding myself starting to get into a reading slump from trying to force it - It took me 4 days to get to 20% and usually I easily read 20% of a book in one day without trying.

This is no shame at the author - the writing really was beautiful, hence the middling review, as I think that at another time I would adore this book, but now isn’t the right time for me to read it.

Emotional and moving, this was a well written and plotted book. I really enjoyed the characters and the entire premise, the backdrop added an interesting element and really brought the story together.

Unfortunate overwriting minimises impact of important themes

I requested this because themes and setting appealed. Also, I do like to read writers whose culture, background and experience is different from my own.

Unfortunately, though the author writes with absolute passion and dedication to her important themes – environmental, feminist, what must be respected about different cultures, her undoubtedly ‘beautiful writing’ really gets in the way. There are too many over and over repetitive sections which don’t advance narrative drive, deepen awareness of character, or, even, say what she has previously revealed in a way which deepens that knowledge.

It is almost as if giving equal weight to describing the minutiae of how someone walks across a room, how an avalanche happens and the contents of a store cupboard is just, in the end detail which becomes tiresome.

This was a shame, and I wished the author and editor had heeded Noel Coward’s useful advice ‘Murder Your Darlings’ : don’t overindulge.

A really compelling read, set in the Black Mountains of Pakistan which explores many characters and their stories. Primarily, it focuses on the struggles and challenges of the women living there. In their culture, they face oppression and violence. We also get to see the consequences and the impact war has had on their lives.
A truly unique read.

"A storm was at the edge of the village, waiting."

Set in Saudukh Das, a remote village in the mountains of northwest Pakistan, this novel chronicles the lives and losses of a small community in the aftermath of a deadly avalanche. The discovery of an unnamed, injured man sets off a chain of chaos, and the choices each character makes have repercussions beyond their imagining.
A village headman struggles against a modernising world. A pregnant woman flees domestic violence. A lost soldier searches for his friend in the snow. A 'wayward' daughter is locked in a storeroom. A young prophet is ignored. And all the while, restless spirit-beings (the Periting) keep watch from the mountain.

Feryal Ali-Gauhar paints such a vivid picture of the setting: the harsh winter, the treacherous mountain, the threat hovering over the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows. But at times I found the writing a little too descriptive. Once I'd noticed the 'abundance of adjectives and similes' it was hard not to get distracted by them. I also would have liked to read more about the interplay between the spirit world and the human one. We did get glimpses of it here and there, but some of the sections told from the Periting perspective felt quite disconnected from the rest of the narrative. But I loved reading all the folklore, and the way the author used it to foreshadow events in the village (particularly the story of the wild roses). A looming tragedy will always keep me hooked, and I was not disappointed on that front.

Thanks NetGalley and Canongate Books for the e-ARC!

The writing is beautiful, no doubt about that, but I found the narrative very slow in places and the fillers between chapters had me skim-reading, as I was more interested in what was going on in the village - most of which was quite disturbing. Not an easy read.

A very interesting book. It is set in the mountains of Pakistan and provides some wonderful imagery. There are so many stories within this book, some quite challenging to hear. The chapters are short, which I liked, especially as it gives the reader time to savour the imagery. The only reason I gave it three stars, as in many ways it deserves more, is that the story was so challenging.
It has been written with incredible detail. I always wanted to come back to reading it, as throughout there was a sense of the unexpected. I also want to reread this book, as I sense there is more to appreciate.

The author vividly showed me a way of life and culture that is difficult for a western reader to comprehend, transporting me to and enveloping me in the life of a village in the mountains of Pakistan.

The characters, through their actions and words, come alive as living breathing people. The head man, revered by men and feared by his two older wives, so sure of his authority but so erratic; the pregnant woman, fearful of the consequences of bearing another daughter to her idle addicted brutal husband; the man trapped by an avalanche and desperately searching for his friend, and many more.

The short italicised chapters appealed strongly to me, powerfully describing the damage we do to our planet by destroying nature and the despair we inflict on other creatures by killing them and eating their flesh. Here the messages so often expressed of concern for the earth and compassion for animals are powerfully imparted in a novel way.

Set in a small mountain village in Pakistan, this is a graceful book that opens a window into a different culture, community and way of living. The author is not pejorative and shows what can be embraced from tradition while not pulling her punches on what it also means to live under a patriarchy where violence is normalised. Surprisingly, a place for hope is carved out from this darkness.

The writing style feels a perfect match for the almost elemental, mythical feel that is conjured up. Compassionate and modeling a humanity that is not always demonstrated by the characters, this beats to a different rhythm than many Western novels.

This is a sweeping story set in the Black Mountains of Pakistan, which examines the fate of a number of interesting characters - from the all-too-familiar situation of a woman who is abused for failing to give birth to a male child, to the plight of an animal fighting to help its human survive.

When an injured stranger appears in this remote place, it is only one of the factors that a beleaguered tribal leader must contend with in an already challenging domestic situation.

The prose is lush and evocative, and the author brings alive a culture that is alien to many, but a conflict between humans and nature that will be all too familiar to most. Well worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars.

Set in the Black Mountain region in Pakistan, it is a heartbreaking book with many memorable characters: the head of the village is trying to figure out what to do with the injured man that was brought to him, while at the same time battling with his wives and a modern daughter. A soldier is trapped in an avalanche, with a faithful dog to try and save him. A woman who can only give birth to daughters is pregnant again. Torn between tradition and progress, they also have to deal with the forces of nature.

The writing is gorgeous. I loved everything about this book. The storyline and plot were delicate and tender, and the author really had a way with the descriptions of nature throughout the whole book. The words and characters were beautiful. 5 stars.