Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis

Can you imagine what it would be like, thinking your family are dead and trying to survive in a war which is taking place everywhere around you?

Some people have it tough in other parts of the world, however, here in Australia we are surrounded by some sort of safe bubble. Parvana’s journey is the second book in the Parvana series and outlines the struggles that a young Afghani girl faces against the Taliban’s invasion. I am inspired by this character and don’t know whether I could ever be as brave as she was.

 This is an emotional and uplifting novel, which had me hooked at every second. Though it was  sad and at times made me cry, it has enlightened another aspect of the way I see we live. It makes me appreciate the small things in life, which others are not able to have. The theme in this book is friendship and finding where you sit in the world.

Parvana is a strong-willed, determined, independent, tolerant, courageous person and is  extremely sympathetic towards others. This is evident by the way she acts around the people she meets and how she is so willing to help others. The challenges which Parvana faces are difficult, or for many even impossible. After having her father pass away, she is left on her own to fight for survival and find the rest of her family.

Parvana finds friends and says good bye to some, never knowing if she will ever see them again. As Parvana began dressing up as a boy in the first book, she is left to continue this persona. However, she does find it difficult because her body is beginning to change, develop and mature. As the dangers of her identity begin to unfold, she has no other choice but to walk until the help she needs arises.

It is hard to relate to the issues in this novel, as we have never experienced them, however, I still felt a huge amount of sympathy for the characters. The setting in this story is quite difficult for Parvana, but each time she had somewhere to stay for the night, she was extremely grateful. This novel is set around 1997, when the Taliban invaded Mazar. Even though this book is fictional, it is amazing the way that the events are similar to what has or is taking place in Afghanistan. I loved this book heaps and I rate it 4 and a half stars out of 5.