Every now and then a book comes along that jars you in your heart and your head, a book you'll never forget. THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is one of those books.

Raihana, an Afghan refugee, tries to make a new life for herself in Denmark after her husband was killed by the Taliban. She has no employable skills and must learn to speak Danish before she can get a job, per Danish law. At least she feels safe in Denmark, safe in a way she did not back in Kabul.

Gunnar, a Dannish beekeeper, is mourning the sudden death of his wife. When a family friend suggests that he allow Raihana to apprentice with him in order to help her learn the Danish language, he refuses but then relents and begins a tentative relationship with Raihana.

Slowly, the two, separated by language and culture, learn to communicate and to trust one antoher, with the help of Gunnar's wife's bee-keeping journal. Together, despite racial prejudice and violence and through the sharing of culture, they help their individual communities—each suspicious, ignorant, and distrusting of the other—to find and embrace their common humanity.

I can start by saying that unless I read something else absolutely phenomenal, THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE will be my pick for best book read in 2008.

With moving yet semi-detached prose, mirroring the way we tend to treat new people and places outside of our familiar, Ms. Malladi pens a thought provoking tale of racial hostilities, prejudices, and reconciliation set against the backdrop of the current war on terrorism. What makes this story fresh is that it's not about black vs. white, even on an international scale. It's deals with prejudices among Middle Eastern and European peoples and uses the little things, like a rug or a trip to the grocery store, to illuminate our shared humanity and encourage all who read to examine their heart with a nod toward being a better person. At the same time, the story is fun, especially when we learn interesting tidbits about the lives of bees and beekeepers from Anna's journal.