{"id":37614,"date":"2015-05-14T10:33:34","date_gmt":"2015-05-14T14:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/?p=37614"},"modified":"2015-05-14T10:53:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-14T14:53:07","slug":"the-taliban-cricket-club-by-timeri-n-murari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/the-taliban-cricket-club-by-timeri-n-murari\/","title":{"rendered":"The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Taliban<\/a>What I know about cricket is not so much about how the game is actually played, but that it’s\u00a0a cultural phenomenon that can actually save lives. Two favorite Indian films come immediately to mind: Lagaan<\/a><\/em>, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002<\/a>, and Iqbal<\/a><\/em>, whose director Nagesh Kukunoor\u00a0U.S.-premiered his follow-up Dor<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>at the Smithsonian APA Center\u2019<\/a>s 2006 SALTAF<\/a>\u00a0(South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival). [BTW: both films are unhesitatingly,\u00a0highly recommended.]\n

As made\u00a0obvious by\u00a0the title and cover here, cricket is a pivotal focal point in Indian writer\/journalist\/playwright Timeri N. Murari\u2019<\/a>s penultimate (thus far) novel. Although the drawn-out passages about the rules and logistics of the revered game are, ironically, the weakest, eye-glazing portions, the narrative hinges on the potential\u00a0life-saving qualities of the colonial sport.<\/p>\n

In a city being crushed by the Taliban, Rukshana’s irrepressible\u00a0spirit is what gets her punished, but also what makes men fall blindly in love with\u00a0her. As a journalist who risks her life to expose the horrors Kabul citizens must constantly face \u2013 especially its women \u2013\u00a0Rukshana is both reckless and brave. Her father is dead, her mother is gravely ill, and she must protect her younger, still-teenaged brother at any cost. She is separated from her betrothed by thousands of miles, she longs for her beloved, and she must somehow\u00a0escape the marriage demands of a supremely powerful, destructive\u00a0man.<\/p>\n

When the\u00a0Taliban’s\u00a0incongruously named\u00a0Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and\u00a0the Prevention of Vice announces that Afghanistan will enter the world’s cricket fields to prove their\u00a0honor and dignity\u00a0\u2013 guaranteed by\u00a0the watchful eyes of an invited international official \u2013 the promises seem far too good to be true. The winning\u00a0local cricket team\u00a0\u2013 and anyone can put together a team, except, of course, women\u00a0\u2013 will be sent to Pakistan to train with the best. Rukshana and her extended family recognize the nearly impossible opportunity for escape. With the threat of marriage\u00a0looming ever closer, Rukshana reveals a surprising expertise … and sure enough, the game is on: fair and square, winners will take all … right?<\/p>\n

Mellifluously read by Sneha Mathan, Murari’s novel provides 11 hours (or over 300 pages if you’re going with print) of intrigue and anticipation, terror and caution, choking burkas and cross-dressing freedom, true love and family obligations. Regardless of the occasional yawns over wickets, pitches, and bowlers, the tracks (and pages) pass quickly, with memorable\u00a0characters you’ll be cheering on\u00a0all the way through\u00a0\u2013 sometimes through terror, occasionally\u00a0through shock, and thankfully\u00a0through\u00a0a rare\u00a0smile or two of utter relief.<\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Adult<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What I know about cricket is not so much about how the game is actually played, but that it’s\u00a0a cultural phenomenon that can actually save lives. Two favorite Indian films come immediately to mind: Lagaan, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,328,81,6,52,17],"tags":[6608,10,149,13,129,39,28,55,44,837,434,6399,6400],"class_list":["post-37614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-readers","category-afghan","category-audio","category-fiction","category-indian","category-south-asian","tag-bookdragon","tag-family","tag-gender-inequality","tag-love","tag-mother-daughter-relationship","tag-parent-child-relationship","tag-politics","tag-religious-differences","tag-siblings","tag-sneha-mathan","tag-sports","tag-taliban-cricket-club","tag-timeri-n-murari"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. 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