M. Salahuddin Khan

Description:
In 1986, Sikander is a seventeen year-old Pakistani who dreams of going to America to study and live. But his plans are crushed when he flees his home after a disagreement with his family, which leads him to join a band of mujahideen warriors who are fighting Soviets in Afghanistan. After two years away, the mujahideen prevail, and Sikander decides to return to Pakistan and make a life for himself. Here he falls in love with and marries an Afghan woman while running a successful business. But following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America, turmoil ensues in the Middle East, and Sikander must help his wife's family flee from Afghanistan to Pakistan, a dangerous trek that ends in Sikander's capture, torture, and imprisonment by U.S. Forces. The land he's always dreamed of is now a painful scarring nightmare that he may not survive.

Review:
M. Salahuddin Khan's first novel is a remarkable coming-of-age journey full of rich detail and remarkable characters. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first received it, but after a few chapters, I knew that I was reading an amazingly crafted and emotionally charged novel. The characters are realistic and well-developed, seemingly taking on a life of their own through the well-written dialogue. The details are vivid and captivating, allowing the reader to experience the Middle East as beautiful one moment and war-torn the next. The plot flows nicely and is very solid, never losing ground and keeping up the fast-pace. The style reminded me of The Kite Runner, another excellent book, and I recommend both to adults interested in the Middle East, biographical historical fiction, or those who just want to read excellent stories about life's journey.

Rating: Clean Getaway (5/5)

*** I received this book from JKS Communications in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.… (mere)

Sikander, a Pakistani youth who has led a comfortable upper-middle class life, dreams of one day visiting America, a country for which he has developed a great fondness. But his dreams are smashed when, after a heated family argument, he flees his home and manages to find himself in the midst of a nation’s struggle for liberation from an imperialist enemy. But joining the mujahideen warriors in their fight against Soviet oppression in Afghanistan is only the beginning of Sikander’s remarkable story that takes him all the way across the ocean to a country which was once only a part of his dreams. It is the same country that is bound to become a nightmarish proving ground for him. Join Sikander on his journey of self-discovery, loss, growth, and personal evolution as he learns what it means to live in a world as tumultuous as this. Sikander is M. Salahuddin Khan’s first effort at the craft of a novel. It is perhaps for this reason that the novel will seem even more impressive for its eloquence and quality. This remarkably well-crafted bildungsroman-style story is an excellent start for Khan, though he is no stranger to the field of writing. He has served as publisher for the “highly regarded” Islamica magazine and is respected by his peers at the online writer’s community helium.com, where his articles usually rank somewhere in the range of the top five to ten percent. Readers who are partial to coming-of-age novels, stories that involve the culture and character of the Middle East and Pakistan (specifically), or exciting, yet well-grounded works of biographical fiction will especially enjoy the novel Sikander. Also, readers who enjoy fiction related to current national and/or global struggles should definitely look for this novel on bookstore shelves this July.… (mere)