“No More Mulberries” by Mary Smith has been round the blogging world for a while and last week I finally got a chance to read it. I am pleased to say that it deserves all the praise it got.
A Scottish woman married to a man from Afghanistan is confronted with ‘his’ and his country’s culture, customes and loyalties in a story that touches upon the outer experience of the country as well as the inner and personal.
He disapproves of her English teaching of boys because of the implications this has for their reputation. Miriam finds herself challenged in many ways in her marriage, not just coming from her husband but also from her own past. Love and commitment issues are brilliantly placed into a remote rural location that imposes additional complications.
From a cultural perspective, this is sensitively written and provides excellent insights. As literary experience this is equally…