Afghani by Brendon Patrick | Self-Publishing Evaluate

Delicately exploring the darkish legacies of struggle within the Center East, Australia, and past, Afghani by Brendon Patrick is a relentless historic novel following two warriors on parallel journeys.

Missing a transparent path in life, Patterson reluctantly joins the Australian Military, however is quickly shipped off to Afghanistan in help of America’s post-9/11 retribution, going to struggle in opposition to his circle of relatives historical past. In the meantime, a century earlier, a well-traveled Afghani cameleer flees to Australia to flee a Khan’s wrath, solely to seek out himself oppressed by new types of xenophobia and systemic injustice. These alternating timelines replicate eerily comparable themes of id, responsibility, and the will for private freedom exterior the arbitrary borders of race and societal prejudice.

Showcasing the brutality that outsiders face and the lasting impacts of struggle zone deployment, this novel is an uncensored portrayal of army and refugee life. Extra controversially, it presents a pointy critique of overseas coverage interventions throughout generations, and the violent remnants of imperialist oppression that also gasoline modern conflicts.

The casual authorial voice is immersive and gritty, however sure technical components make the studying expertise difficult, notably the shortage of dialogic punctuation, which blurs the road between speech and narration. The breakneck tempo additionally leaves restricted room for character growth, whereas the prose breathlessly recounts generations of geopolitical nuance, however is usually gentle on context for lay readers. The novel would profit from extra disciplined storytelling to completely interact its supposed viewers, however it nonetheless stays a thought-provoking and intensely plotted work of historic fiction.