Customer Reviews

The Wasted Vigil

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Nadeem Aslam has woven exquisite beauty out of great tragedy. It is easy to fall into despair when dealing with the last 30 years of Afghanistan's history, yet Aslam not only navigates away from despair, he imbues this tragedy with both delicate beauty - both human and natural. This book is more complex than "A Thousand Splendid Suns," and should be read by anyone who loved that book and wants to move further...This is a remarkable novel to savor and linger over...

I looked at Nadeem Aslam's latest book several times in the bookstore. The cover picture - five delicious pomegranates (two cut in half) invite the browser. I picked it up and put it down several times, on several visits to different bookstores. Then, on my birthday in December, I got two copies.

Aslam's Wasted Vigil is a delight to read. It's almost like a poem - lyrical and soft. The lives of many different kinds of people - old and young, men and women, Afghans, Americans, British, Russian - are all woven together in a tapestry of love, intrigue, hate and regret. Wasted Vigil is a tremendous insight into present day realities in Afghanistan.

I have been in Afghanistan twice over the last four years and once for almost six months. I did not know too much about Afghanistan's socio-political history before I went there in 2004. The book makes it all come alive, in a lyrical way. There is a calmness in Aslam's style which is rich and powerful, gentle and kind, giving an intimate insight into the minds and hearts of all the characters - so well developed - right to the end. For all those wondering why things are the way they in today's global geo-politics, the book is a terrific read. For others, interested in poetry and literature, the book is an even finer read.

Read the book!

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.

It is a rare book that can bring so many amazing attributes to the telling of a life changing story. Aslam accomplishes much in this heartbreaking yet beautiful tale. Numerous books have been published over the last few years that have focused on the Middle East, the Taliban, Muslim Fundamentalists, and the general mistreatment of women and children in that part of the world. I honestly thought nothing new could be said, but Aslam has done a magnificent job of shining a new light on the mayhem and injustice. Taking place in today's Afghanistan, the story includes a diverse band of characters. An English ex-pat, his Afghani wife and daughter, and the stories from their village lend their voices to the tale. An American ex spy, the sister of a dead Soviet from the 80's, an American Special Forces agent, and a young jihadi infuse their backgrounds into the tapestry..each life is significant in creating the final image. The narrative is infused with the details and events of complex and often tragic lives. In his picture on the back cover of the book, Aslam looks to be under 30. His perception and understanding of the human spirit and ability to tell this story without prejudice has completely amazed me. He is too young to have accomplished this wise endeavor! All the characters pulled me into the story, but I was especially interested in the young terrorist. Casa's educational process was "devoid of literature, history and politics" and certainly helped to create this pitiless killer of innocents. He had been separated from his parents at a young age and had no contact with women. How can a soul develop when deprived of all the beauty and complexity that is life? The Special Forces character also revealed prejudices born of these terrible times. Specifically, his inability to see torture as an evil onto itself provided an insightful look at the viewpoint these men have as they try to protect and defend our freedoms. The cultures continue to clash with out much discussion or understanding of each other. This novel in all its melancholy softly protests the outcomes of war. It silently screams at the injustices that have become so prevalent through the actions of extremists and it lends a voice that quietly pleads for the splendor of different lands, traditions, and people to rise up and erase the evil that so often seems to triumph. It is after all our stories that show the truth and beauty that we were all created to celebrate.

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!

I couldn't put this book down - the lyrical descriptions of the lost beauty of Afghanistan & the suffering which the Afghan people have survived through years of war - honestly, this story was both inspiring, captivating, yet also very sad! Aslam clearly has done his research into the history of the region - he touches on geo-political issues which are often ignored when hearing about Afghanistan as reported in today's media. He is sympathetic to the people of the region while deftly illustrating the folly of the invaders/occupiers who all use the country for their own means - both the Soviets as well as the Americans.

His characters came across as authentic & vivid to me - I sympathized with their inner turmoil as they reacted to outside events with dignity & hope, yet they ultimately trod the paths which they seemed destined to follow. As a Muslim, I have to agree with an earlier reviewer in that it would have been helpful if Aslam had included the chapter/verse references when he quoted from the Quran - I think his intention in quoting out of context was to highlight the fact that this is precisely what the Taliban or extremists frequently do in order to justify their interpretation, yet to an non-Muslim, it would appear that the Quran actually condones such abhorrent behavior (when it DOES not!) Other than this one quibble, the book successfully portrays the upheaval of war, the high cost to the average citizen, & also the human striving for survival against all odds...really beautifully written.

There is so much that is beautiful about this book. The colors, the lush descriptions of nature, of art, of poetry form a tapestry. There is also so much that is painful. A corresponding web of loss and of searching and longing. In some ways it has the dream like qualities of some of the South American writers. The combinations of both beauty and brutality. Don't miss it, this guy is a real story teller, what a gift.

This is a harrowing novel. I picked it up partly because of its topicality, but partly because I loved so much his previous novel, Maps for Lost Lovers. The language of that book is romantically sensual and metaphorical; the language of this novel has flashes of that quality, but is more spare. Aslam's metaphoric imagination enters more into action. For example a man driven to walk to one village from another in open country unknown to him is told to hold a bowl of water in front of him and keep the image of the moon always centered in it. The novel is about the conflict, internal and external, among people who live at the boundary among Islamic fundamentalism, other types of Islam, and western values. It is a war novel, set in a small town in Afghanistan in the present, but flashes back to many events in the lives of the several principal characters as long ago to the Russian invasion of that unfortunate country. It is a novel of characterization; you fully and vividly see and feel all the principal characters. Anyone who thinks this war is justified, should read this book. Anyone who thinks any war is justified should read this book.

The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam is as impressive as books like A Fine Balance and A Thousand Splendid Suns. It takes place in contemporary Afghanistan and links together the stories of five very different characters, all of which I loved for their own flaws and beauty. This is an intense and sad story of people being controlled by their circumstances. It's one of the best that I've read.

Nadeem Aslam has gone beyond the considerble standards he had already set for himself. This book is a work of art in every sense. Wish I hadn't finished it so quickly!