Lost & Misrepresented Voices of Afghanistan Chapter 3 Page 26

write about an atypical family from Afghanistan which would turn out to be a rather different tale altogether. Seierstad had also placed herself in a rather fortunate position as a journalist who was able to mingle between the two realms of the Sultan household; she was able to go between the male and female quarters at ease:

Sultan had ordered the family to supply me with whatever I wanted. I was later told that whoever did not comply with this demand would be punished. (Seierstad, 2008, p.3)

Seierstad as a Westerner was able to be treated as a family member whilst she wrote the novel. She declares at the start of the novel that she was in a fortunate position as a journalist because:

I have written this book in literary form, but it is based