I'm sorry," Laila says, marveling at how every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on.

For a novelist, it's kind of an onerous burden to represent an entire culture.

Human behavior is messy and unpredictable and unconcerned with convenient symmetries.

Her beauty was the talk of the valley.It skipped two generations of women in our family, but it sure didn't bypass you, Laila.

But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.

All good things in life are fragile and easily lost

At least, it is encouraging to me that President [Barack] Obama has put Afghanistan front and center in this broader so-called War on terror, and that he is taking a different approach to Afghanistan.