Welcome to Litsy!

Afghanistan as Farhad, going through the nightmare over and over again.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/oct/07/featuresreviews.guardianreview16

Set in Afghanistan during The Soviet War there in the 70s, Farhad is attacked on the streets of Kabul and left for dead until Mahnaz, a widow, rescues and hides him in her home. At first the text is confusing as Farhad flows in and out of consciousness and it is unclear where he is. His memories of the attack are shared in present tense so initially I thought he was in prison and being tortured but it is his recovery process.

“In a corner of a kitchen my heart fills with love...I only wish that Mahnaz could know that someone is thinking about her this very minute- someone who‘s fallen hopelessly in love with that troublesome lock of hair that insists on hiding one side of her face; someone who‘s in love with the persistence of her two slim fingers that repeatedly grant asylum to that strand of hair as, once again, they carefully rescue it and tuck it behind the ear...”

The carpet Farhan is hidden in, in an attempt to flee Pakistan.

The Soviet War in Afghanistan.

“Perhaps I leave landed in a city that spins forever around a giant bridge.” I personally feel like this when reading some of Rahimi‘s writing. He includes the imaginative musings of his characters, often through fantasised conversations and there is nothing to differentiate it from other parts, it is always after the passage that it is made clear to you as the reader that the character was having a daydream.

...and the afterlife was a cover story dreamt up by the human terror of nonexistence...

I think at times the narrator is suffering torture and deliriously remembering all sorts of strange things as well as contemplating death and life.
This text is certainly improving my understanding of Afghan history, specifically 1970s USSR and US Cold War impacts but also back to Rumi and other notable historical figures.

First person narrative where it feels as though the speaker is either comatose or trapped inside some sort of container, he can hear voices but cannot speak.

One of those books that are little in size but big in impact. Now I'm curious about the Soviet regime in Afghanistan.

Ihop and my book before a Walmart run. It's been a great Saturday!

I should be reading it doing dishes or the zillion other things on my list. Instead I'm going to organize and catalog my shelves. I moved at Easter and haven't done this yet!

cracking the book open today. I hate it when I forget my headphones!

"1984" and "The Exorcist" are half finished books I need to finish. Yes, I've added Christmas books to my pile already. This may be ambitious stack but looking forward to November. #NovemberTBR