arif parwani

"The most powerful, chilling and stimulating story ever written about Afghanistan in the form of a novel"

Farid Younos, California State University-East Bay & Afghan-American Television Anchor

Twenty-six-year-old Laalla Qassim is a beautiful woman, but lately she wanders through her days with a lifeless expression. With the playground outside her window devoid of children and the dusty streets abandoned, Laalla has nothing more to do than help her mother bake bread and worry when the Taliban warriors will come to claim her as a bride. It is just another day in Kabul, Afghanistanthe casualty of a Soviet invasion that has changed everything.

In 1991 when the Communist regime promotes Laallas father to onestar general, an elegant dinner reception is arranged. After Laalla plays her violin for the crowd, she is surrounded by well-wishers who shower her with flowersone of whom is Farid, an engineering student, who is enamored with Laalla and leaves a note attached to his bouquet saying as much. As the young couple develop a relationship and eventually become engaged in a world of incredible uncertainty, the mujahideen begin to gather at the outskirts of Kabul. But as she and Farid plan their future, Laalla has no way of knowing that the streets are about to erupt in violence, causing a personal tragedy.

Based on true events, Cry of Angels is the poignant story of an Afghan womans struggle to navigate through a world where politics, war, and military action forces her to endure dehumanizing treatment and conditions, and where despite insurmountable odds, she still manages to nurture unending hope.