Publication Date: July 28, 2026
From bestselling novelist Nadia Hashimi—a gripping, occasionally terrifying, yet ultimately hopeful novel focusing on the women of Afghanistan in the years since the Taliban regained power.
In February 2020 the US began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nearly twenty years of occupation. A whole generation of Afghan women had been born during that time—women who had grown up in relative peace, gone to school, entered the professions, even served in the army and Parliament. The women of Afghanistan watched as the Taliban filled the streets again. They knew everything was about to change.
In the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Kabul, women are TV newscasters, shop owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, even soldiers. They include Marjan, who fought with the Afghan army, and will risk everything to keep her daughter Hawa safe. In her earlier days Marjan was called Rahima and had lived the life of a bacha posh—a girl raised as a boy until she came of age. Forced into an early marriage, Rahima took the name Marjan when she fled her warlord husband. She’s created a whole new life for herself, one she will not give up easily.
So has Soraya, who defiantly wore red lipstick as she led the army’s all-female combat force over the objections of her upper-class family. Soraya’s now a wanted woman whose brother may choose not to shelter her from the Taliban. What will become of her? Or Mina, a journalist and broadcaster whose beautiful face is known to everyone in Kabul—including the new regime?
Fight or flight? Or find a third way? One thing is for certain: none of these women will meekly accept her fate.
An epic saga of fear, resistance, change, and reinvention, City of Widows gives voices to the unforgettable Afghan women at a crossroads of history.
As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, the impact on those left behind unfolds through the experiences of three women.
Author Nadia Hashimi tackles a challenging topic in City of Widows, but in telling the story, she illustrates the strength and resilience of the main characters.
Three Afghan women unite as the Taliban return, signaling an end to two decades of freedom. Marjan, the former soldier who will do anything to keep her daughter safe, refuses to return to her warlord husband. She is joined by Soraya, the bold leader who defied her family to fight, and Mina, the brave journalist.
Marjan’s childhood, including five years masquerading as a boy before being sold as a fourth bride, provides a stark contrast to life in the United States.
Using flashbacks, the author builds the story so readers can understand the full implications of freedom being threatened.
City of Widows offers a rallying cry for Afghan women facing impossible decisions while maintaining hope for the future.
Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and daughter of Afghan immigrants. She is the author of four books for adults: The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A House Without Windows, When the Moon Is Low, and Sparks Like Stars, as well as the middle grade novels One Half from the East and The Sky at Our Feet. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, suburbs.
