The Wasted Vigil

Starred review from July 14, 2008
Kiriyama-winner Aslam (Maps for Lost Lovers
) takes an ambitious and moving look at the human cost of Afghanistan's war-torn reality. Marcus, a British doctor, lives near Jalalabad and quietly mourns the loss of his Afghan wife, their grown daughter and his hand to the Taliban and tribal warring. His houseguests includes Lara, a Russian woman searching for the truth about her soldier brother's disappearance, and David, a formerly zealous CIA operative whose love for Marcus's murdered daughter binds him to the older man as they search for her missing son. There's a tremendous tension in the first half of the book as the connections between the characters and the country are built up, and Aslam exploits the setup perfectly when a cast of younger characters—a fervent jihadi, a charismatic but arrogant American soldier, a rebellious local schoolteacher—arrive at the house and bring danger with them. Lyrical but not overwritten, the novel creates an unflinchingly clear picture of a country whose history of strife is still being written.

Starred review from August 15, 2008
English-born doctor James Marcus has made Afghanistan his home, having married an Afghan woman named Qatrina, also a doctor. Qatrina was stoned to death by the Taliban (she's an adulteress, having married an infidel), and their daughter has been abducted and is known to be dead, though there's rumor of a grandson. The gentle, saintly James shelters Lara, who's come from Russia to look for a brother lost during the Soviet incursion, and welcomes old friend David, an American jewel dealer and disaffected CIA spy. Also entering their midst is Casa, an injured (and angry) young man who claims to be a laborer but in fact is committed to jihad. Aslam, already the author of two award winners ("Maps for Lost Lovers"; "Season of the Rainbirds"), carefully hones their stories to write arguably the best novel available on the current situation in the Middle East. The jihadists, the warlords, the crusading Americansall are given voice in calm, relentless, shatteringly beautiful prose that reveals the essential wrongness of the current conflict from every angle. There's no whitewash or caricature here, just authentic writing that delivers the worldand a range of extraordinary characters. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/1/08.]Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2008
Four lonely people, devastated by the ongoing war in Afghanistan, are all searching for something or someone. David is an American spy who set out to help the Afghans fend off the Communist Russian invasion and now fears that his efforts may have lead to the execution of his beloved Zameen. Lara is a Russian looking for her missing brother, who was sent into Afghanistan years before during the Russian invasion. Casa, a young Afghan man, grew up as an orphan in a Taliban madrassa, was indoctrinated into Fundamentalist Islam, and is now looking to prove himself. Finally, there is Marcus, an elderly English doctor who long ago married an Afghan woman. He lost his wife to the war and is searching for his missing daughter and grandson. All four are brought together under Marcus roof, where their stories intertwine, their ideologies collide, and eventually they must each choose a path toward life or death. Aslams voice is lyrical yet brutal as he tells a poignant story about the harrowing and lasting effects of a continuous war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)