Tariq tucked the gun into the waist of his denims. Then he said a thing both lovely and terrible. "For you," he said. "I'd kill with it for you, Laila.

I have very fond memories of my childhood in Afghanistan, largely because my memories, unlike those of the current generation of Afghans, are untainted by the spectre of war, landmines, and famine.

Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it.

But if you have a book that needs urgent reading,' she said, 'then Hakim is your man.

Dr. Bashiri, if I ever want to put a curse in someone, I say, 'May God give you a restaurant.

And suddenly, just like that, hope became knowledge. I was going to win. It was just a matter of when.

I have this almost pathological fear of boring the reader.