Mostafa Chizari
To read this book and not walk away angry, you have to accept that this is a critique, not a representation. Through the lens of a white woman (and all the biases that carries), you follow a middle-class family caught between modernity and tradition. Seierstad clearly has a disdain for the latter, framing it almost entirely as a "backwards mindset." The joys and beauty of Afghan culture are reduced to superficial, fleeting moments, while the tragedy of repression is given the entire spotlight. This isn’t to say her observations aren’t true, but they certainly aren't the full picture.
However, once you stop looking for a balanced portrait and start reading it as a pointed critique, you can appreciate the writing, and my, is it beautiful. The characters are almost all jaded, arrogant, or depressing, but they have genuine substance. While I disagree with how they are represented, the author still manages to bring a specific, dark side of this world to life.
She is clearly a talented journalist. It takes a certain brazen bravery to offer such an honest, unfiltered viewpoint of the "dark side" of a civilisation. I might disagree with her framing, but I can still give her props for the skill and grit it took to write it.
To read this book and not walk away angry, you have to accept that this is a critique, not a representation. Through the lens of a white woman (and all the biases that carries), you follow a middle-class family caught between modernity and tradition. Seierstad clearly has a disdain for the latter, framing it almost entirely as a "backwards mindset." The joys and beauty of Afghan culture are reduced to superficial, fleeting moments, while the tragedy of repression is given the entire spotlight. This isn’t to say her observations aren’t true, but they certainly aren't the full picture.
However, once you stop looking for a balanced portrait and start reading it as a pointed critique, you can appreciate the writing, and my, is it beautiful. The characters are almost all jaded, arrogant, or depressing, but they have genuine substance. While I disagree with how they are represented, the author still manages to bring a specific, dark side of this world to life.
She is clearly a talented journalist. It takes a certain brazen bravery to offer such an honest, unfiltered viewpoint of the "dark side" of a civilisation. I might disagree with her framing, but I can still give her props for the skill and grit it took to write it.
