This book sat on my shelf for so long before I finally picked it up. And I loved it. I loved how the author describes Afghanistan, and it was simply amazing to hear him read his own book on the audiobook. Every time I opened it again, it took me straight to Kabul.

„Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.“

Blurb

I would have liked the story to stay in Afghanistan, yet the path it takes made sense to me. Even though the book isn’t an autobiography, going to America at around fifteen is an experience the author lived himself. It is what he knew, rather than writing about wars and battles he never witnessed.

I also liked learning about the Pashtuns and the Hazaras, and how the author depicts both the open racism and the very subtle racism of everyday life that sort of lurks within many of us at times. It made me google these topics and look for YouTube videos to learn even more about them.

The story could have been more „round” or more literary in its interest, but some parts felt exactly right, because life is not „round” or always interesting. It is not always the big Hollywood movie, or, as the protagonist says: „After all, life is not a Hindi movie.”

The writing was comfortable to read, and I wanted to pick the book up every day, even though some scenes were not pleasant at all. In fact, I was shocked and taken by surprise at the brutality the different characters had to endure, physically and mentally. During one especially brutal scene in Amir and Hassan’s youth, I got so angry with Amir, only to realise that at his age I probably would have done the same, which made me even angrier. I wanted to shake him, to show him that he had to stop going in that direction and instead stand up and face the situation.

The book made me think about so many things and showed me such vastly different perspectives on certain topics that I could have gone on forever.

In the end, it left me wanting to visit Afghanistan and its wonderful people, even though the security situation wouldn’t allow for that right now. For me, it is a five star read without any doubt.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📝 If you are looking for my own short stories, poems and texts, check out my Substack: https://substack.com/@fragmentsandthedark