My Mother Said My Name is both a historical novel of recent history and a tale of revenge.

The beginning shocks readers into the story, as within the first eight pages the narrator’s mother is stoned to death in Kabul. She was a leader of the Afghan women’s movement, and the Taliban murder her.

Narrator Mina, her younger sister and father flee Afghanistan, first seeking refuge in Denmark, and later settling in New York City, where they open a kebob shop. Mina promises herself that she will avenge her mother’s death: “The vengeance needed to be precise and devastating… Only time would tell if I’d succeed.”

While the novel traces seven years of Mina’s and her family’s lives, from 2021-2028, their story isn’t told linearly. For example, the author moves the family from Denmark to New York within a chapter or two but then quickly flashes back to Denmark.

Mina loves her family fiercely and has a keen desire to both assimilate yet retain her culture and sense of self. Her grief permeates her thoughts. Healing comes in the form of friendship with her neighbor, Mr. Mendelsohn, a retired professor whose Afghan wife has passed away. The two take walks together and muse over past and current global situations. Mina also attends Columbia University and continues to pursue a path that could lead to vengeance.

Mina and her family are appealing characters, and Mina’s musings on life and philosophy are, at times, poetic. Unfortunately, the author tends to tell rather than show readers what happened. For example, the family receives therapy in Denmark. “Our psychologist, Henning, was exceptionally skilled with both theory and practical tools,” the author writes, instead of showing through actions, how the psychologist helped them. This robs the story of immediacy, distancing readers.

Still, those curious about the recent history of global events and feminists who enjoy a plucky heroine, will likely appreciate Mina’s story.