After Obayda's father loses his leg in a car bombing incident their family loses its status and moves from Kabul to a smaller village. There her aunt convinces her mother to have Obayda become a bacha posh - a girl who pretends to be a boy. The reasoning is that a house full of girls is bad luck. If Obayda becomes a boy then good luck will come to house and maybe her mother will actually have a baby boy. At first Obayda, now Obayd hates this new life and feels awkward and out of place. But, with the help of another bacha posh she quickly comes to embrace the change and the freedom it affords. But all too soon, her friend is forced to change back and at 13, is given to the war lord as his bride. Obayd tries to ensure that this will not happen to her.
I won't give any spoilers about what happens. I found this to be a very interesting book and I was not expecting it. This is a very interesting look not only at the specific culture but gender roles in general. Enjoyable and thought provoking.
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