Qayumi, Shahnaz. Zia’s Story. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2024.
What makes a story appealing to me? It’s not the plot line. It’s not the characters. It’s not the setting, even though I enjoy historical fiction. It is the voice that makes a story come alive. The character’s voice, rather than the author’s voice inserting itself and destroying the illusion required for me to become immersed in an alternate world.
Zia’s Story starts a bit stiffly, all in grammatically correct sentences and narrated in a straight-forward matter-of-fact style. But rapidly, that voice becomes real, the entirely believable voice of a reporter recording events of political upheaval.
Twelve-year-old Zia, the main character, watches his father being arrested shortly before the Russian army withdraws from Afghanistan. He witnesses the changes as the Taliban take over his country. He explains how he and his mother flee to Pakistan, only to encounter more political machinations. He relates how the two of them finally find safety in Canada. At the end, the story lives in my mind as nonfiction.
And the story is based on true events: the author and her son had to leave Afghanistan and find refuge in Canada. But what makes the writing magical is that voice of a twelve-year-old giving a report on what he has experienced. It’s unforgettable. Highly recommended for readers 10 years old and up.Â
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