Life during the Taliban regime in Kabul, Afghanistan forms the backdrop for this story of Rukshana, a feisty female journalist who wants to escape Afghanistan and the marriage overtures of a senior Taliban official. When the Taliban announces a cricket tournament the winner of which will be sent to Pakistan to be further trained, Rukshana and her male cousins form a team to compete for a ticket out of Afghanistan. Worth reading, but the best parts of the novel are the depiction of the treatment of women under Taliban rule and the descriptions of Kabul in the aftermath of years of war. The plot is somewhat far-fetched. If you haven't read The Kite Runner, read that onefirst. It is a better read.