A review by serendipitysbooks
The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories is a collection of interconnected stories exploring the Afghani experience both in Afghanistan and in the United States. The stories which most captured my attention were those with an innovative structure - Enough! (a 13 page story told as a single sentence) and Occupational Hazard (a life story in the form of a resume) - and those told in the second person - Playing Metal Gear Solid V(a young man’s video gaming morphs into a visceral exploration of his father’s war experiences) and the titular story which is told from the perspective a government surveillance worker. Unfortunately the magical realism in the longest story in the collection didn’t fully work for me, but overall I really enjoyed this collection. 
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