Intrigued by the knock-on effect of politics? Try this tough look at a teenager’s life in Kabul.

Laila is madly in love with her childhood friend and neighbour, Tarik, but when war breaks out in Kabul, her young life takes one tragic turn after the next. This book made us feel like we were on a perpetual emotional roller coaster as Laila attempted to navigate the layers of pain in her life. Gripping and intense, yet hopeful, this story doesn’t shy away from the gritty reality of the subjugation of women. Content warning: sexual and physical violence, alpha males, harm to children, self-harm.