The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe

Malika’s twin babies cry all night. Exhausted as she is, Malika resolves to take them to the doctor’s the next day. Born two months premature, the babies have been a constant source of concern. Under the Taliban rule, however, female doctors are struggling. Hospitals are segregated by gender, and female doctors are not allowed to work with (or even consult) their male colleagues. Malika arrives at the doctor’s office early, and it quickly fills up with other women. She relaxes in Dr. Maryam’s presence; the doctor had worked in the local hospital until her frequent complaints about the Taliban led a coworker to inform on her. Now, she is regularly monitored. Every day, she tries to treat every woman who comes to see her. Dr. Maryam is worried for both the babies and their mother, who seems exhausted. Malika cannot help but think of all the people who rely on her; she is close to tears, but she has “no choice but to simply carry on” (95). The doctor encourages her to get more rest and Malika wearily agrees, leaving with a prescription for the twins.

That evening, Malika tells Kamila how much she is struggling with all of her responsibilities.