There are parts of this book that are beautifully written, and I think that the settings and situations are interesting to consider and discuss. I also like the choice of having an unreliable and dislikable narrator. However, I don't see this book as particularly engaging or as life changing as some readers and friends of mine have suggested. I am most certainly not the audience meant to enjoy this novel.

To me this novel is overwritten, with metaphors and themes that hit readers over the head and spell it out clearly enough for literally everyone to understand. There isn't much room left for interpretation. Additionally, because of our unreliable narrator, there isn't a lot of definition given to the world and the characters. I feel like this book was written/edited with a Western audience in mind. Taliban bad. Country destroyed by Soviets and Taliban, who are also bad, bad, bad. I think a lot of nuance of American terrosim and destruction in the region is ignored. I wouldn't go as far to say that it's revisionist, but it defiantly feels like a lot of history is ignored in order to pander to a certain audience. Also, as someone who is LGBT, I will admit to being a little meh about having the main antagonist being the way they are. Basically, it makes sense to me why I was first exposed to this book in high school, because it may be more adult fiction, but the way it deals with central themes and the over clarification of them is something more suited to high school lit class. I'm also not a big fan of the writing style and heavy handed metaphors/description.