The Place of Shining Light

September 1, 2016
Islamabad antiquities dealer Khalid hires Adeel, a former special forces operative, to smuggle an ancient Buddha statue from Afghanistan to the Punjab. But Adeel experiences a spiritual awakening when he sees the statue and resolves to steal it from Khalid to protect its purity. Adeel's efforts to disappear before Khalid discovers his betrayal are hampered by the Taliban and by Norbu, a mysterious woman Adeel encounters on the run. Khalid uses his army and Taliban contacts to hunt Adeel while maneuvering to keep the buyer, Ghalib, from discovering the theft. Meanwhile, Ghalib, a wealthy landowner notorious for exploiting villagers, launches a cynical, power-grabbing campaign for parliament. Sheikh makes good use of the election-year backdrop, using Adeel, Khalid, and Ghalib's narratives to probe Pakistan's complex yet informal economic and social structure. This timely and provocative choice for book groups balances a moving story about the price of greed with a roller-coaster thriller plot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)