compassion towards this rather difficult and uneasy situation that innocent children are placed in. Busfield provokes much sympathy for the vulnerable and innocent young children of Afghanistan by revealing the true extent of their suffering by providing intimate detailed family accounts like this. Ironically by working under the influence of a Western household children like Fawad can be saved from such exploitation and potential abuse from society.

Another important key theme in the novel is the impact of the ‘westerners’ within Afghanistan. Busfield demonstrates how the Westerners or ‘foreigners’ have actually helped the economy of Afghanistan to slowly rebuild itself again. Fawad’s mother is very fortunate to earn herself a position within a Westernised household as this allows her to