(Matinuddin, 1999, p.21)

Fawad’s young character allows us to view a sincere and authentic viewpoint of Afghanistan through the narration of a young and honest male child who witnesses what he sees happening around him. Matinuddin’s explanation of how the Taliban evolved is important to note as the novel centres around the impact and destruction of the lives of an entire country due to the aftermath of The Taliban movement. Matinuddin continues to state that:

The Taliban regularly bombed, strafed, and rocketed Kabul and other government positions in the vicinity of the capital as part of a process of softening up the target before the final assault. Unfortunately, they were not able to avoid the civilian casualties, which, as they had feared, placed them in the same category as the other Afghan militia.