The Wasted Vigil

This is a beautifully crafted book but hard to read. Elegant descriptions of small joys, the quest for hope, for meaning, for love within the daily ordinariness of life in Afghanistan. Scoped in beguiling language, poetry that leaves you unprepared for the mundane arrival of unspeakable horror. Floating along in a river of words, absorbing the beauty and then realising too late that we have fallen somewhere we do not want to be. Landmines in life, random, injust and evil. Violence and viciousness beyond the imagination of any westerner. I will not think of Afghanistan again without these stories of hell and humanity.

It is a post 9/11 book that goes into detail about history of Afghanistan. The author does a good job of showing fictional characters during the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, Taliban's take over after Soviets were defeated, and later the American invasion of the country. The one common theme about all three periods is the non-stop violence and tragedies the main characters suffer throughout. It's hard to say which period is better when it comes to the violence.A must read if one is interested in the recent history of Afghanistan.

However gave this book 5 stars does not have a clear sense and knowledge of what great literature is really about on one hand, and of contemporary history on the other. The author makes an instrumental use of the Koran and of Afghani history to convey a melodramatic, outdated, and pointless sense of tragedy. The author somehow feels entitled to talk about everything in every way he likes filling the pages with repetitive images and banal stream of consciousness of the characters who never really come to life in the book. The author perpetuates the contemporary wrong ideology of the conflict of cultures which is an invention of the imperialist and zionist countries that constantly profit from the poor imagination and lack of insight of common readers always ready to shade a tear and call for the masterpiece as soon as the read of a rape, a dead child, or war crimes. People who enjoy this kind of books are responsible for the obscurantism surrounding Islam and the false ideology of a clash of culture. Also, I could not figure out where the admired lyricism of this book is to be found. Images are obvious, no figures of speech at all, unnecessary repetitions. Again: whoever sees poetry in this book has a scarce knowledge of literature.

The Wasted Vigil is one of the most beautifully written books I have read in the past ten years, with striking imagery and flashing colors and complex references to the past, as far back as Homer. The fates of the main characters who live through the multiple invasions of Afghanistan, keep the reader glued to the book, but it is the writing that causes one to reread the text again. This is a novel that I could not put down, twice.

No matter what your political persuasion, this book will provide you with a new perspective on Afghanistan. Through a simple, but compelling narrative story involving characters from diverse backgrounds, The Wasted Vigil reminds us of the oft forgotten cultural and human elements of Afghan society, including their interaction with other cultures. Similar to the movie Crash, The Wasted Vigil shows the interconnectedness of all who have been involved in Afghanistan. Many of the themes developed in this book can be applied to other countries as well.

This was a wonderful read,from the opening chapter to the very last word I just loved it .Gives a insight into a country that is scary and fascinating at the same time,all this written around an intriguing story with believable characters .

This is a truly remarkable book. Beautifully, almost lyrically written. I first heard about it in a review on National Public Radio, was intrigued, and immediately ordered it. I'm glad I did.This is a strong 5-star book, and I won't be surprised if I hear that Nadeem Aslam is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this wonderful, insight, searching book.No need for a long review; others will write them. My recommendation is that you must read this book!

Nadeem Aslam writes about man's inhumanity to man with the most beautiful sentences and carefully observed images. Whenever I finish one of his books I feel as if I have been expelled from a world where I have been living. It takes him years to write a book, but each is worth waiting for.

This is Nadeem Aslam at his very best . This is a book one can read time and time again. Fantastic

This is an amazing book which will stay with me forever.

This is an amazing book. it is beautifully written and it puts into perspective all the different battles there have been in Afghanistan over the years. It really made me think and almost weep. I can only urge people to read it and see.

I really enjoyed this book.

Now a total fan of Nadeem Aslam. Yhis novel got under the skin of American intervention in Afghanistan, and the contradictions (and sometimes horrors it produced alongside the previous USSR intervention, without in any way letting the Taliban and other Muslim extremists off the hook). A truly remarkable achievement by an 'insider'.