HAJJI HOTAK is a short story collection with interconnected characters–primarily of an Afghanistan immigrant family living in California–focusing on modern-day Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora in the United States. With luminous writing, Kochai explores the heritage, memory, and tenacity of Afghans and their unbreakable connections to home.

Playing Metal Gear reads like a fever dream in video games but packs a punch. Return to Sender is a heartbreaking and haunting tale of a kidnapped son and his parents. Enough! contains one long and brilliant sentence that lasts an entire page. Occupational Hazards is a list of job descriptions when a man recounts his life fleeing Afghanistan and remaking himself in California. And The Haunting of Hajji Hotak is written from a government worker's POV who becomes invested in the immigrant family's life.

I'm utterly impressed by Kochai's craft and his experimentation with different styles in each short story. Experimental writing can sometimes be a hit or miss for me, but in this case, I enjoyed it immensely!