One more mountain by Deborah Ellis

Deborah Ellis’s Parvana series has been praised by Malala - “Ellis beautifully captures childhood in war-torn Afghanistan”. The series tells of Parvana, a young girl, living at the time of the first Taliban regime. This latest novel picks up the story of children in Afghanistan now, following the American withdrawal and the Taliban return.

Damsa, caught in a moment of desperation, is rescued by policewoman Shauzia, and the two of them, hidden under burqas, find refuge in the Green Valley, the school and home for girls set up by Parvana. Damsa, a 15 year old, is running from the prospect of a forced marriage. At Green Valley she meets other girls in similar situations, including a 13 year old, already a mother to a baby.

Parvana wants to send her 11 year old son, Rafi, an aspiring ballet dancer, to safety with family in America. Alternating chapters tell of the experiences of Damsa, and of Rafi, over the ensuing days. Unfortunately before Rafi and his father and his aunt can reach the Kabul airport, the Taliban have taken over, and they are caught in the massive throng of people desperate to leave the country: the gates to the airport are closed, and the only way forward is across a trench of sewage. Adult readers may recall the news reports of the chaos at Kabul airport last year, as the last evacuation flights left. Rafi is caught between following his aunt towards freedom, and seeing his father sink beneath the bomb detritus, knowing that with his father’s death his mother is left without a male protector. It is a horrendous decision for an 11 year old to have to make.

This all sounds like a harrowing tale, and it is, but Ellis knows how to write simply and directly for a young audience. We follow Damsa and the other Green Valley girls, disguised as boys, as they retreat to the mountains, and we follow Rafi, trying to find his way home. For me, it recalled the writing of Ian Serraillier’s historic classic The Silver Sword about children making the dangerous journey from war-torn Poland to Switzerland during WWII, a story of the courage of children. One more mountain is a story in this league, dealing with current issues of war and displacement.

Themes: Afghanistan, Taliban, War, Freedom, Courage.

Helen Eddy