Review: Your War, Our Lives

An incredible and enchanting collection of short stories from the Afghan perspective, written by an Afghan-Canadian author highlighting personal realities overlooked by many caught up in the mainstream world. Several of the stories have appeared in print or received recognition in prominent literary awards; Your War, Our Lives by Mina Sharif is an easy read for most that surely won’t fail to touch hearts. From tearing truths to unbreakable bonds, fashion to food, these short stories will leave you full while craving more.

Having spent her life growing up in Canada and then most of her adult life in Afghanistan, Mina Sharif has created something that stands alone. She shares multiple perspectives with the world and gives us a look into unique stories of the people that make up the fabric of society.

Her lived knowledge of both cultures and the bridging connection between East and West — without shame or judgment — comes through poetically in every story. You can feel the passion for people’s lived experiences coming off each page, with an artful ease in her writing that connects us to that passion as well.

Page after page, story after story, my heart was touched, lifted, and sometimes left wishing there was more I could know. A story I’m sure won’t leave many had me aching to know more, while another made me reflective on my own memories of choosing fabrics to be custom-tailored. It’s a blessing of community many of us overlook and take for granted because it feels omnipresent — like we could never lose it. These stories stayed with me in ways that make me humble.

The originality and vivid beauty in each story’s detail left me briefly removed from city life. Slow down with this book. It invites you to experience a world without the wrinkling of war. It invites you in to view a world of culture and history layered with family, dreams, and what joy looks like without the erasure of violence fogging the view. Instead, find warmth in the pages filled with stories of tradition, rebellion, and community.

Each story gives an inside perspective of women, men, children, and even animals’ lives, shining light on truths often forgotten or unnoticed.

In a world where countries become headlines about conflict, this collection of stories grounds us in reality. It reminds us that everyday people — lives filled with joy, love, humour, sorrow, and grief — exist outside of any prescribed narrative. This book questions the idea of war being the only story worth telling. Instead, it offers twelve truths of proof that humanity exists in quiet, in vitality, in the in-between moments, and in focus.

A read for all ages and highly recommended for adults, I give this book five stars for creativity, five stars for believability, and five stars for the way it sets the scene so vividly you feel like you’re right there. It’s touching, easy to read, and beautifully done. I’ll be thinking about these stories for a long time.