99 Nights in Logar

October 22, 2018
Kochai’s debut is an imaginative, enthralling, and lyrical exploration of coming home—and coming-of-age—set amid the political tensions of modern Afghanistan. Twelve-year-old Marwand returns to his family’s village of Logar in 2005—and on the very first day, has the tip of his index finger bitten off by the compound’s fearsome guard dog, Budabash. Marwand, with his cousin, two “little uncles,” and younger brother, then vow “jihad against Budabash”—as soon as they can find the runaway hound. The seemingly Huck Finn–like tale, however, slowly evolves into a mesmerizing collection of stories, first narrated by Marwand (who recounts the vicious beating he gave an old mutt when the family first settled in Afghanistan in 1999) and set against the backdrop of a war-torn region. Through nightly conversations in the family compound, Marwand discovers that talk “always seemed to circle back to war.” His 99-day-long search for the devil dog Budabash is filled with the stories of events both real and imagined: a family wedding, a mysterious illness that takes down the household, and finally the dreamlike clash between Marwand and Budabash. Kochai is a masterful storyteller, and will leave readers eager for the next tale.

Ali Nasser creates a vivid vocal portrait of this unusual coming-of-age story. Marwand returns to Afghanistan and is completely disoriented by the country he last visited six years ago. We follow along as Marwand searches for the missing family guard dog, Budabash, who runs away after biting him. We are swept us along this 12-year-old's search for meaning by Nasser's tender treatment of postwar Kabul. His accurate pronunciation of names and foreign words lets listeners sink deeper into the story and the setting. Marwand is a memorable character made more so by the gentle rhythm between description and dialogue. This enjoyable listening experience is easy on the ears and heart. M.R. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine