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kelseysreads 's review for:
The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories
by Jamil Jan Kochai
I loved this book. It’s unfortunate that I only found out about it through the backlash of the horribly biased NYT disaster of a review, but I’m so glad I picked it up to support the author.
Kochai is able to show the depth of trauma and the lasting ramifications of war in these stories that are sometimes funny and sometimes tragic, and often both. We see the Afghan diaspora as well as Afghanistan at various times through the 20th century. I learned so much about Afghan culture and history while also enjoying Kochai’s incredible writing and ability to move between genres.
Many of the stories reference his father’s brother, who was killed many decades ago and has left a mark over the family as a result. That context really put a lot of the stories into perspective for me.
Overall, I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a must read.
Kochai is able to show the depth of trauma and the lasting ramifications of war in these stories that are sometimes funny and sometimes tragic, and often both. We see the Afghan diaspora as well as Afghanistan at various times through the 20th century. I learned so much about Afghan culture and history while also enjoying Kochai’s incredible writing and ability to move between genres.
Many of the stories reference his father’s brother, who was killed many decades ago and has left a mark over the family as a result. That context really put a lot of the stories into perspective for me.
Overall, I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a must read.