Raihana knows one thing for sure. To survive in the brutal world in which we live, one must put aside childhood dreams and face the reality of what lies ahead. This is the lesson she has learned while biding her time in a refugee camp in North Western Pakistan. When she is granted asylum from the Danish government, Raihana must start anew despite her longing for her war-torn homeland of Afghanistan and the family she will never see again.

When the opportunity to apprentice a local beekeeper presents itself, Raihana enthusiastically embraces her new-found independence despite the peculiar circumstances in which she works. As she soon discovers, Gunnar, the local beekeeper who has become her boss, is struggling with his own demons as he desperately tries to cope with the sudden death of his wife. At first, both Raihana and Gunnar doubt their ability to help one another, but as their friendship slowly blossoms, that soon changes. They come to realize that although they may not speak the same language; their hearts do tell the same story of love and loss.

As their friendship deepens, suspicions among the neighbors as well as among Raihana's own kind are raised concerning the unconventional relationship of these dissimilar individuals. As tensions mount and paths are crossed, their friendship is put to the pivotal test as they try to put aside the outside world and relish in the joy of being together. When an act of violence threatens to destroy the special bond that they have uniquely shared, Raihana and Gunnar are forced to face the unthinkable. Will their relationship survive? And yet more importantly, at what cost?

THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is an engrossing novel that dares to cross the barriers that separate the races. Eloquently written, Malladi harmoniously incorporates the life cycle of the bee with the emotional journey of two lives that due to circumstances out of their control will never be the same. Once again, Malladi treads on a path few dare to take and quite beautifully comes out on top.