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5 out of 5 stars
By
jdukuray
on
07-22-16
A tragedy of manners
What does Neil Shah bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He is an excellent reader, just the right amount of personalization of the various characters, and flawless pronunciation.
Any additional comments?
For about the first half of the book it was a kind of comedy of manners for terrorists and their victims, with a lot about the foibles of the all-too-human characters. The book becomes, I would say, progressively dark as the ramifications of destructiveness are played out: parent who, having lost their children, cannot find their way back to life. Young men who experience oppression as Muslims in India, as well as other losses, who lose their way and then their lives. Others who are ruined by the brutal and capricious state. The author explores all this with great sensitivity to his characters. The author is also a fine writer, with many interesting metaphors (which I wish I had written down), but who also maintains a good pace in his story.
Things do decidedly not come right in the end, but the book is not a complete downer either. In addition to the humor of human frailty, there is the author's compassion that keeps the lights on throughout.
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40 of 42 people found this review helpful
5 out of 5 stars
By
Matt Kaul
on
04-04-16
Amazing novel, exceptionally performed
This book was astonishing, and its narrator is outstanding, performing a wide range of voices and accents with distinction.
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30 of 32 people found this review helpful