Alex Dehgan

While the larger story and embedded stories are quite interesting, I was wishing for more skilled editing to reduce repetition and some wordiness. However, one could argue that the style of the book echoes the ridiculous bureaucratic structures the narrator is encountering while trying to establish national parks in Afghanistan and protecting its wild animals. The contrast between the Kafkaesque processes and the progress made because one or two people make careful and caring decisions is quite interesting. The contrast between the war-torn country and its beautiful corners is just as interesting. Afghanistan sounds like an amazing country to visit, if it were not for the land mines and ongoing instability.… (more)