Reviews - The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories

233 reviews for:

The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories

Jamil Jan Kochai

4.05 AVERAGE

rozereads's review

3.5

informative sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

catie_winegar's review

4.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

aminareading's review

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

sionnac's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

archytas's review

5.0

challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

So straight after I finish my books of the year list, I read a book like this. This is an extraordinary collection of stories. The narratives are consistently throwing the reader off kilter, going somewhere unexpected, while the characters anchor the reader with consistent and relatable humanity, even as the situation teeter. Kochai loves a good run on sentence, and the stories seem to literally sweep you away. A man turns into a monkey and then a militia leader. A kid plays a computer game made in America but set in Afghanistan and finds his father's story there. A pair of doctors sew their son back together. Others are more wistful - a delicate story of marriages and friendship, a group of kids playing a game with an unsettling end.

The surreal nature of many of these natures also seem to play various roles: explaining emotional truths, redeeming something by revisiting or recasting it, allowing a rewriting of the story. "And why must we ruin what is beautiful with what is true?" one character asks.