Night of Tiny Suns

Captain Nick Russell is an advisor to the Afghan National Army and commands a small group of soldiers. When the Taliban co-opt a local youth to assist in seeding improvised mines, they inadvertently turn the villagers against them. The boy is killed by a British missile. His father, a Mujahideen veteran, Gul Khan, blames himself. Bound by the Pashtun honour code to seek vengeance, he chooses to direct his retribution not at the British but at the local Taliban leader, Haji Mansur who gave him twenty dollars for his son's life. Nick forges a strong, personal bond with Gul Khan. Haji Mansur plans revenge. The climax is brutal as each fails to protect those they care for most. The narrative moves between perspectives with clinical precision, forcing the reader to empathise with all sides.