The River Village

the long version

Based on the author's personal experiences and observations during the Afghan-Soviet war (1979-1989), "The River Village" is a fascinating and intellectually stimulating read. In the final decade of the "Cold War," Afghanistan turned into a battleground where not only the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but also Afghans who subscribed to opposing ideologies engaged in conflict. This novel offers insight as to how culture, history, and socioeconomic realities shaped Afghan's lives through those perilous and turbulent times of political upheaval and war."The River Village" helps the Western reader to emotionally connect with the Afghans, and develop a deeper understanding of their story. --Kabul, Afghanistan - On a winter night in 1980, intelligence officers of the Marxist regime raid Dr. Sharif’s house and arrest him. They accuse Sharif of having ties with anti-government forces (the mujahidin). After his arrest, his fourteen-year-old son Masih aspires to quit school and join his mujahidin cousins in Deh Darya, The River Village near Kabul in order to fight against the invading Soviet army. He believes the sooner he topples the government, the sooner his father will return home. However, Nadia, his mother and a strong-minded woman, opposes his decision. She is determined to keep her only child alive by preventing him from going to the battlefield. Meanwhile, Masih is forced to join the very same regime that has kidnapped his father, a bitter reality that he conceals from his mother.