Skive, Denmark - 2002

Raihana is tired of running away.

First, out of Afghanistan to Pakistan and into a refugee camp. Then out of Pakistan and on to refugee asylum in Denmark where her relatives were waiting to welcome her. But sadly, she left behind her husband, Aamir. In their Muslim world of death and destruction caused by the Taliban, there was only one chance for escape, and Aamir gave it to her when he rushed her out of the country. Is he dead? Is he alive? Raihana does not know.

Now, she has settled into cousin Kabir’s home and helps his wife, Layla, with household chores, along with caring for their two-year-old son, Shahrulch. Raihana has spent the last ten months acclimating herself to a new life in a country that is alien to all she has ever known. The Danish language makes no sense to her; she thinks it sounds much like the buzzing of swarming bees. And thus, when she finally attends Language School, it is appropriate that she is assigned a job assisting a Danish beekeeper. According to law, all immigrants must work in a praktik, applying their new language skills in Danish businesses. Raihana will work for Gunnar Sandberg, an elderly man who recently lost his wife, Anna, to a stroke. Raihana embraces this new experience, even though Gunnar rarely speaks to her, and the fact is that she cannot understand much of what he does say. But when she finds his wife’s beekeeping diary, Raihana begins to blossom more and more as each day goes by, and she painstakingly translates her way through the unfamiliar Danish text. The diary gives her confidence and command of the strange language.

Gunnar is just a shell of a man. He sits, day after day, night after night in his darkened house drinking, watching television, and sleeping, hardly caring whether he lives or dies. His beloved Anna died. So he wishes to follow, though it is not his time. When language teacher Christina Mollehave and her beekeeper husband, Ole, visit Gunnar, Christina proposes that he allow a young Afghan immigrant to help him with the bees. Gunnar is aghast. Can he trust a foreigner, let alone a young woman? Christina explains that Raihana is no threat, she just desires to learn Danish and to work with the bees. But for Gunnar, a new helper is hard to accept. He might have neglected his bees of late, but those dear creatures are the labor of love for his marriage to Anna. And teaching someone else to do Anna’s job is unacceptable.

THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is Gunnar’s story as much as Raihana’s story. Raihana is terrified after the horrors in her past, and now she’s living in a strange place, longing for word of her husband’s fate. She cannot plan for a future until she knows whether or not he is alive. And so, Raihana goes through the motions, attempting to pacify her cousins' attempt to marry her off, and striving to learn this strange, unfamiliar Danish language. Horrified at the thought of being assigned a praktik doing menial cleaning in a factory, Raihana fondly remembers the scent of the honey and working with her uncle’s beehives as a child. She boldly inquires if she can work in a praktik learning beekeeping. And even though for the first several weeks of her apprenticeship, Gunnar does not speak to her, let alone teach her anything, Raihana plods onward, determined to learn whatever she can in this new place. And finally, both Raihana and Gunnar learn how break down the walls of prejudice and communication amid hateful innuendoes and rumors that swirl around them when both racial sides of the fence spread malicious gossip. Afghans condemn Raihana -- how dare she work for a single, white man -- and alone? Gunnar fares no better. His neighbors and even his family are judgmental, criticizing his efforts to help Raihana. The hatred spreads so deep that Raihana faces danger and turmoil because of it.

This story is fast paced and totally captivating. The narrative shows us both Raihana’s views as well as Gunnar’s, teaching us something about both the Danish and the Afghan cultures. Raihana and Gunnar have a long way to go in order to overcome obstacles while they wind their way through this tale. There are many secondary characters, and though it is sometimes difficult to keep track of them all, each character is lively and well drawn. The main people we meet are Raihana's and Gunnar’s families, each with opposing racial views and cultures that clash. But Raihana and Gunnar are strong, and they rise above the pettiness that surrounds them. Raihana learns a new language, but she does not always embrace the change in her life. Gunnar is able to go on with a life that does not include his beloved Anna. Anna’s beekeeping diary is a very large character in this story as well. Each chapter of Raihana's story is prefaced with an entry in Anna’s words, which are the catalyst that helps Raihana gain the self-confidence she will so surely need in her future.

THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is one book you will want for your keeper shelf!

Diana Risso