The novel has not been published in Afghanistan. It is probably because Afghans reader would have little -time or money to spend, but it could be because they would be outraged at his American-style writing, due to its open confrontation of difficult moral, social and political issues. They are struggling for the identity as they defined by their culture, unable to think for themselves.
Aforementioned, Afghanistan has been a country constantly plaque by war and political unrest, inevitably causing people to struggle for their identity. At a time when people are ruled by fear for their lives and also the unknown, they struggle to understand who they are when the world views them as so insignificant.
The novels explores the last 30 years of Afghanistan, from the soviet invasion to post-Taliban rebuilding. The soviet invasion, which witnessed the death of over 1 million Afghans, left citizens and the country vulnerable, powerless and helpless, which set the stage perfectly for the rise of the Taliban. The Taliban was one of the mujahideen (holy warriors) groups formed during the war against Soviet occupation. Once soviet forces had withdrawn, the soviet-backed government lost ground to the mujahideen and in 1992, Kabul was captured and an alliance of mujahideen set up the new government. However, the various factions were unable to cooperate and fell fighting to each other, leaving Afghanistan again controlled by competing warlords. The Taliban finally emerged publically in 1994, proving an able force, fighting of rival mujahideen/warlords and in 1996, they successfully captured Kabul.
Initially, the Taliban was met with huge support and popularity; weary of conflict, Afghans were relieved to see the exits of corrupt and brutal warlords, celebrating the replacement by the Taliban. Tragically the Taliban soon began imposing strict Islamic laws, regimenting and controlling the life of Afghans; completely removing their freedom. Public executions and punishments because regular events and activities such as kite-flying were outlawed, while western or ‘non-Islamic’ influences (such as TV) were banned.
