Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai
An NPR Backseat Book Club selection for February. Senzai's book was published in 2010, and is going to be put in the post-9/11 literature genera. A boy and is family flee from Afghanistan to America in the first part of 2001. An accident happens a the youngest sister is left behind. Yadda yadda yadda the family is reunited at the end. Don't get mad at me. I know I just ruined the end, but it won't matter in a few moments.
Shooting Kabul is delivered with the emotional heft of a paper cut. The book has a sprawling world Kabul and San Francisco are both beautiful places filled with unique quirks that should be a writers delight. Senzai makes them appear flat and dull. A young boy blaming himself for the abandonment of his sister should be a gut wrenching narrative. It falls so flat that there were moments half way though the book where I forgot the girl was missing. The only moment I felt truly captured the book was when the main character was taking pictures. The writing came alive and was full of rich texture and detail. It feels like this book was holding back. Every time I saw the author try to turn a phrase or have here characters emote she simply dulled it down. If a family loses a child in war torn Afghanistan it is absolutely permissible to have one of them say the word fuck. Also, if a child is about to be the victim of a hate crime and he utters the word crud it makes me think the book was purposely edited to stay on shelves in libraries in conservative school districts. Honestly, I feel like this book went though a painful editing process. The bones of an astonishing narrative exist. They peak out behind all the goshes and darns. The author knows how to write a compelling scene. I just wish we could read the story how it was intended. The whitewash is readily apparent.
Moving on, I'm going to read Skin Hunger (Resurrection of Magic) the book was up for a National Book Award in 2007. I'm only a few pages in and it feels great.
An NPR Backseat Book Club selection for February. Senzai's book was published in 2010, and is going to be put in the post-9/11 literature genera. A boy and is family flee from Afghanistan to America in the first part of 2001. An accident happens a the youngest sister is left behind. Yadda yadda yadda the family is reunited at the end. Don't get mad at me. I know I just ruined the end, but it won't matter in a few moments.
Shooting Kabul is delivered with the emotional heft of a paper cut. The book has a sprawling world Kabul and San Francisco are both beautiful places filled with unique quirks that should be a writers delight. Senzai makes them appear flat and dull. A young boy blaming himself for the abandonment of his sister should be a gut wrenching narrative. It falls so flat that there were moments half way though the book where I forgot the girl was missing. The only moment I felt truly captured the book was when the main character was taking pictures. The writing came alive and was full of rich texture and detail. It feels like this book was holding back. Every time I saw the author try to turn a phrase or have here characters emote she simply dulled it down. If a family loses a child in war torn Afghanistan it is absolutely permissible to have one of them say the word fuck. Also, if a child is about to be the victim of a hate crime and he utters the word crud it makes me think the book was purposely edited to stay on shelves in libraries in conservative school districts. Honestly, I feel like this book went though a painful editing process. The bones of an astonishing narrative exist. They peak out behind all the goshes and darns. The author knows how to write a compelling scene. I just wish we could read the story how it was intended. The whitewash is readily apparent.
Moving on, I'm going to read Skin Hunger (Resurrection of Magic) the book was up for a National Book Award in 2007. I'm only a few pages in and it feels great.
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