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Fidali's Way

George Mastras (Goodreads Author)

4.09 · Rating details · 240 ratings · 45 reviews

"Disillusioned with American life, Nicholas Sunder has spent months backpacking through South Asia, most recently in the company of a beautiful French woman he met in India. When the woman is found brutally murdered in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan, Nick is arrested and tortured by the Pakistani police, who are convinced he is the killer. Amazingly, Nick escapes their custo ...more

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Hardcover, 384 pages

Published January 6th 2009 by Scribner (first published 2009)

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Jan 05, 2009 Jbh rated it it was amazing

A terrific, taut, and timely tale. While the novel approaches the pace of a thriller and solves all its mysteries, it is much more than a mere whodunit, defying easy categorization. While it is thoroughly entertaining as an adventure story, you will take away from it and carry with you a new lens through which to view the ideological conflicts of our times and perhaps your own struggles as well.

With awesome descriptive and emotive power--and nary a wasted word--Mastras takes us to the top of th ...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Susan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2009

This book worked well on so many levels. It starts with a murder, with the protagonist, Nick, accused, a daring escape and then a brutal trek through a rugged land wraught with both danger and beauty. Although the story begins in Pakistan, the real development is in Kashmir, where we gain insights into clashing cultures, religions and philosophies. One of the most interesting voices is Ghulam, who, along with Fidali, serves as Nick's guide through the rugged terrain and it is through their inter ...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Weavre rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Weavre by: Vine

Shelves: stories-from-different-cultures

Is it possible that this richly textured literary tour de force is the author's first novel?

George Mastras breathes life into his characters and settings, creating a work of fiction that contains a considerable amount of truth. He spent several years traveling the Himalayas, Karakorams, and Hindu Kush, and brings a firsthand familiarity with the Pakistan/India borderlands in which he sets his novel. The complex characters are deeply human, with unique strengths and weaknesses, quirks and backgr Is it possible that this richly textured literary tour de force is the author's first novel?

George Mastras breathes life into his characters and settings, creating a work of fiction that contains a considerable amount of truth. He spent several years traveling the Himalayas, Karakorams, and Hindu Kush, and brings a firsthand familiarity with the Pakistan/India borderlands in which he sets his novel. The complex characters are deeply human, with unique strengths and weaknesses, quirks and backgrounds, motivations and challenges.

Nick Sunder, the protagonist, is backpacking through Asia in an attempt to escape guilt related to his former American law practice. Drugs, cigarettes, and even pretty girls haven't succeeded in driving away his demons, however--and in fact, these lead to his topple into the abyss. Hauled into a Pakistani jail on suspicion of having murdered his female traveling companion, Nick loses his American passport to the Pakistani police. When he later flees during a temporary release, he loses his remaining money and identification, leaving him as completely destitute as any other refugee. When even this situation takes a turn for the worse, Nick has reason to fear that even an American embassy would return him to the Pakistani authorities rather than help him regain his freedom. Alone, with no supplies, he is ready to die in the harsh climate, when he is rescued by two simple Muslim men who become his close companions and mentors. Nick has confronted other human forces, struggled with the unforgiving nighttime cold and daytime blazing heat of the local desertlands, and now finds himself face-to-face with the worst demons of all: those within himself.

The rest of the story unfolds through the actions of all the major players in Kashmir's politics: the simple mountain families whose villages were long untouched by religious conflict, the children influenced by madrassa education, the mujahideen, the Indian soldiers, a Muslim woman who is a trained physician and treats men as well as women, a Hindu politician, and more. As the reader is drawn into the stories of these people and this land, it becomes clear that none of these people can be explained in a few simple words. From the "Moslem terrorist" who can't bring himself to harm civilians and is forced to choose between the woman he loves and the religion he practices, to the protagonist himself, motivations are complex and open to examination.

In a time when Americans are too ready to lump all Muslim people into one frightening mix, the distinctions of belief, internal disputes, and differences in religious practice Mastras reveals are particularly important. In this book, some Muslim people are filled with hate, convinced that utter cultural destruction is the only way to achieve "freedom" for their faith. Others live lives of love and generosity, helping even infidel strangers without reservation and at great personal risk. Still others participate in the fighting while longing for a different way to proceed, or continue farming while maintaining friendships with infidels, or live their faith in any of a hundred different ways. They are not painted with one religious brush, not all fanatics, not all even devout.

I'd be posting spoilers to explore one intriguing aspect of Fidali's Way, so won't do so in any detail here. But, I'm fascinated by Mastras' portrayal of one particular Muslim character as distinctly Christlike.

The simple message of love for one another can originate in a variety of places, and sometimes we have to confront the Abyss before we can find ourselves. Ghulam, Nick's primary mentor in the story, explains why he believes that Islam existed before Mohammed, why the "greater jihad" takes place within oneself, and why "There is no God but Allah" can be understood to embrace all paths of spiritual growth. This work examines the meaning of sacrifice and acquisition, the longing for freedom and the ways of seeking it that eliminate hope of its gain, what it means to love, and what it means to believe. And, somehow, Mastras accomplishes all of this without sacrificing an excellent surface story, with continuous action sufficient to hold the attention of its least introspective readers.

I'm still amazed that this is his first novel.

...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Gigi rated it it was amazing

This novel is an emotional and engaging read, both beautifully written and thought provoking. It’s also a timely and gripping page-turner that takes place in the cauldrons of modern-day terrorism - the tribal areas of Pakistan and Kashmir. I like that it deals with India and Pakistan in a current time frame (so many novels concern colonial India, so this is a refreshing change).

The novel essentially follows Nick, an American expat who finds himself in trouble with the Pakistani police after his This novel is an emotional and engaging read, both beautifully written and thought provoking. It’s also a timely and gripping page-turner that takes place in the cauldrons of modern-day terrorism - the tribal areas of Pakistan and Kashmir. I like that it deals with India and Pakistan in a current time frame (so many novels concern colonial India, so this is a refreshing change).

The novel essentially follows Nick, an American expat who finds himself in trouble with the Pakistani police after his French girlfriend, Yvette, is found murdered, in a remote part of Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. The events leading up to Yvette’s death remain a compelling mystery until later in the book, but we get enough hints and glimpses to keep us wondering, and to understand why Nick flees from the police into the dangerous tribal areas, rampant with Taliban militants and drug smugglers. From there, he heads east into the Himalayas, where he crosses the dangerous “Line of Control” into the Indian side of Kashmir. Nick is only able to survive the harrows of this route through the guidance of two local smugglers who befriend him along the way. Once across, and while still in hiding from police (now the Indians), Nick begins to work at an outpost hospital clinic run by a beautiful female doctor, Aysha, whose ex-lover, Kazim, left her to join a cell of muhajideen insurgents fighting against Indian rule. As these lives intersect (or rather, come crashing together), they are all changed in profound ways.

The book reminds me somewhat of Alex Garland’s “The Beach” because it’s largely a literary thriller set in an exotic land that deals with fanaticism (in a different form than in “The Beach”) and the effects of colliding cultures. At the same time, the novel has an extreme sense of place, in the vein of EM Foerster and Rudyard Kipling, with its richly-described characters and living, breathing picture of the tribal areas of Pakistan and the rugged mountain landscape of Kashmir (the author apparently spent time in the region, so his descriptions are authentic). The story is also one of redemption and self-discovery, and thus, in this way, it reminds me a bit of Somerset Maugham’s “The Razor’s Edge.”

Although Nick’s storyline is the centerpiece and vehicle through which the story moves, I found Aysha and Kazim’s storyline to be the most emotional. That being said, I was moved by Nick’s character-arc and how he’s motivated to change by his relationships with the smugglers. Despite all that, on a very basic level, I had to know who killed Yvette and read the book quickly to find out.

This book has a political edge that should not be overlooked given the devastating effects the conflict over Kashmir continues to have on the world around it – the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks being a case in point. Fortunately, there was nothing preachy, distracting or narrow-minded about the author’s handling of these issues. It did give me a new understanding and insight into what’s really at stake in the conflict – not just Kashmir’s place in the larger worldwide clash between the West and fanatical jihadists – but on a more human level.

This novel is a must read. I highly recommend it.
...more

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Feb 04, 2009 John rated it it was amazing

Fidali's Way, a debut novel by George Mastras, is more than an exciting adventure story set in some of the most exotic - and treacherous - regions of the world, it's a gripping tale that takes American traveler Nick Sunder (and the reader) upon a harrowing odyssey leading to his eventual awakening and transformation. Disillusioned with the American way of life, Nick has aimlessly traveled the globe in search of finding meaning to his life, a goal that hopelessly eludes him. In Pakistan, he desce Fidali's Way, a debut novel by George Mastras, is more than an exciting adventure story set in some of the most exotic - and treacherous - regions of the world, it's a gripping tale that takes American traveler Nick Sunder (and the reader) upon a harrowing odyssey leading to his eventual awakening and transformation. Disillusioned with the American way of life, Nick has aimlessly traveled the globe in search of finding meaning to his life, a goal that hopelessly eludes him. In Pakistan, he descends into his own personal hell when he is charged by the Peshawar police with the savage murder of his beautiful French female companion, Yvette. Thrown in jail, Nick is tortured by the sadistic inspector Akhtar, who'll stop at nothing to wring a confession from his captive. Escaping from the police, Nick makes his way through the tribal areas along the Pak-Afghan border with ruthless Akhtar in hot pursuit. Along the way, he joins forces with the smuggler Ghulam, a half-Asian, half-Caucasian wisp of a man, and his companion, Fidali, a stoic giant. Together they travel Fidali's way - a route used by smugglers which passes through areas of such desolation they are seldom seen by man. The trio make their way north into the Hindu Kush, up the steeps of the Karakoram and down into the verdant valley where the beautiful Aysha, an Indian medical doctor, lives and works. With faint echoes of Midnight Express and Lost Horizon, Fidali's Way paints a fascinating portrait of the horrors of fanaticism, the ephemeral beauty of life and love, the transcendence of the human spirit, and opens up a window into the soul of Islam with compelling figures such as the fanatical Kazim, an Islamic extremist torn between love and religious duty, the self-sacrificing Aysha, whose unwavering devotion to her calling borders on martyrdom, and the enigmatic Fidali, who teaches Nick that Fidali's way is more than just a smuggler's route - it's a spiritual path leading to true understanding and redemption. Mastras' rich descriptions of distant, forbidding places, their quixotic inhabitants and the local customs of people who, distilled to their essence, are really not very different from you and me, along with knowledgeable expositions of history and lore, make this novel a must read. It is all the more fascinating when one appreciates that Mastras has actually been to the places he writes about. Kudos to Mastras for a thoroughly entertaining, insightful, and original debut! ...more

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Jan 06, 2009 American rated it it was amazing

George Mastras is a true storyteller. 'Fidali's Way' completely transported me - as great art can do.
I don't consider myself a voracious reader, but these pages flew by for me. the author's bio mentions
that he spent a considerable amount of time trekking throughout the region where the story takes place (the Himalayas), and this comes through in the writing. his observational sense of the essential human nature of people from both the east and west - how they interact, understand and can confu ...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Backpack Reader rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Backpack by: found it on amazon review list

This was one that I could could not put down for three days until I finished it. As someone who have traveled through the Himalayas, this novel does it justice by bring out the beauty of the mountains and more importantly the complexities of the politics and cultures. The plot is based on an engaging whodunit mystery, love triangle romance and more importantly envelops the reader in an intellectual journey in learning more about the cultures that is the foundation of present day conflicts in the ...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Sophie rated it it was amazing

I loved this novel. I felt like I could see the mountains and villages Nick was travelling through by the author's rich descriptions of the characters and landscape - like Corelli's Mandolin. I'm a mystery fan too and recommend it highly on that level as well. This book has a lot to offer and it does so across many genres. ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Manoj Solanki rated it really liked it

It transports you to the physical world through the choice of words made by the author.

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May 14, 2009 Clay Kallam rated it did not like it

It is a bleak world, no doubt, and there is value in communicating the depths of the grim and brutal reality to readers. For that, "Fidali's Way" deserves credit.

For me, though, this was a very hard read. There is plenty of blood, plenty of violence, plenty of pain, all written about in excruciating detail. (This, of course, is OK for our society; but similar descriptions of the act of love are considered pornography. I guess it's good to wallow in the flow of blood and the breaking of bones in It is a bleak world, no doubt, and there is value in communicating the depths of the grim and brutal reality to readers. For that, "Fidali's Way" deserves credit.

For me, though, this was a very hard read. There is plenty of blood, plenty of violence, plenty of pain, all written about in excruciating detail. (This, of course, is OK for our society; but similar descriptions of the act of love are considered pornography. I guess it's good to wallow in the flow of blood and the breaking of bones in this and other books, but for me, the constant repetition is depressingly unnecessary.)

Perhaps my main issue with "Fidali's Way," however, is its lack of redemption. There is a minor sense of accomplishment in one area at book's end, but overall, the main characters do not fare well (especially the titular one). It is good, presumably, to present a dismal picture of humanity and how the world works, because many of us would like to believe otherwise, living in our American cocoons, but it is also possible to deliver that message without hammering away at the violence, negativity and hopelessness of the situation in Kashmir and Pakistan.

And all of this was done from a personal, combatant level, which makes the violence almost less justifiable. For me, some sense of the higher-level machinations that cause this violence would have made the book more palatable, and perhaps Mastras could have even shown a potential political path out of the brutal morass this area of the world is caught in.

But instead we just get suffering and pain and agony, over and over again, with most of the suffering and pain and agony serving no real purpose. Perhaps this is what life is really about, and perhaps this is the best we have to hope for as a terrorist-dominated future unfolds (you are either with us or against us, if against us, we will torture you and kill you).

In the end, though, without something more to offer than meticulously descriptive, and constant, episodes of physical pain, blood, wounds and death, "Fidali's Way" is a depressive, black novel that goes nowhere and tells us nothing more than that the world is an awful place and we can do nothing about it.

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Feb 22, 2009 Helen Caldwell rated it it was amazing

I love a book I can’t wait to get back to. Fidali’s Way not only enhanced my vocabulary but also broadened my understanding and comprehension of events occurring in the Middle East today, generating a compassion for all those in the region forced to endure their current circumstances. Neither all black nor all white, the book reflects the many shades of gray that live in between.

I loved the rich text of description and was quite happy Mastras didn’t feel the need to dumb it down to satisfy the l ...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Karen rated it really liked it

Fidali's Way is a riveting adventure story of Nick, an American backpacker, who accidentally kills a Pakistani police officer investigating the murder of another backpacker. In fleeing Pakistan, Nick meet two travelers, Fidali and Ghulam, who are homeward bound with cigarettes to sell in their isolated village in the Himalayas. They help Nick make the treacherous journey across the Himalayas while avoiding the Mushahadeen educated in Pakistani-funded madrassas and India's border guards. The book ...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Harvee rated it really liked it

I learned about the geography and politics of the region and about the conflicts surrounding the whole Kashmir issue - Indian held Kasmir and the northern portion controlled by Pakistan.

The detailed descriptions of the terrain and landscape of the area - Hindu Kush, Karakorams, the Vale of Kashmir, are very interesting.

What kept me moving through this very detailed book, however, were the two love stories and the inevitability of their being intertwined in the plot of the novel.

I have written ...more

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Jan 14, 2009 Linda rated it really liked it

Until now, I have been occupied with finishing some of the other books I had been reading. I began yesterday reading Fidali's Way in earnest. All I can say is WOW. If you like Kite Runner and A Thousand Spendid Suns, you will definitely like this book. It is so well crafted that I just want to keep reading and do nothing else. ...more

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Feb 23, 2009 Jane rated it really liked it

A first book by Mastra, and pretty impressive. As was true of People of the book, I found the author's portrayal of female characters less convincing than of the male characters. It is a combination thriller, survival story, expose of Taliban methods of brainwashing youth, and love story. Takes place in Pakistan, Kashmir and the Tribal Controlled territories. Worth the read. ...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Maggi rated it really liked it

This is a gripping page-turner with interesting political commentary on extremist Muslims in Pakistan and Kashmir seamlessly woven in. Not subtle, not written in gorgeous prose-- it' s a muscular work with a strong story line. Not your standard trade paperback for the book group but definitely fascinating and worth a read. ...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Don & Marge Miller added it

A book worth reading. It takes place on the Afghan/Pakistani border and deals with the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Although fiction, what is written probably happens all the time in real life. Glad I read it.

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Jun 05, 2009 Marissalopes rated it it was amazing

Wonderfully entertaining. Reminded me of Paulo Coehlo with less religion. Enjoyed it and would recommend it.

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Oct 25, 2018 Emily rated it really liked it

Holy crap, this book is so good and suspenseful! I read it in 4 days, its written by the guy that helped write and produce Breaking Bad. It's a story about an American man who gets charged with murder in Pakistan. He has to go on a crazy journey across the border into Kashmir to escape! Its a nailbiter! ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 Tom rated it it was amazing

A very good book centered around Mideast conflicts. Provides a lot of insight into the animosity between Muslims and Hindus.

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Feb 27, 2011 switterbug (Betsey) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Fidali's Way is a mixed bag. It is a book I immensely enjoyed, as Mastras is a rich storyteller and paces the events well to keep the pages turning and the tension taut and ripe. However, it is also uneven in significant ways that undermine some of its strengths.

Two narrative threads converge. First we meet Nick Sunder, a disillusioned American lawyer who has been backpacking in perilous areas of Central Asia for several years. Encountering a couple along the way--a brazen French woman and her Fidali's Way is a mixed bag. It is a book I immensely enjoyed, as Mastras is a rich storyteller and paces the events well to keep the pages turning and the tension taut and ripe. However, it is also uneven in significant ways that undermine some of its strengths.

Two narrative threads converge. First we meet Nick Sunder, a disillusioned American lawyer who has been backpacking in perilous areas of Central Asia for several years. Encountering a couple along the way--a brazen French woman and her British boyfriend--the three travel together and evolve into a passionate love triangle. After separating under mysterious circumstances (which unfold gradually and non-linearly), Nick is later arrested in Pakistan at his hotel room just moments before boarding a train to India. The police torture him in a filthy prison cell and later negotiate a dicey deal for his release, which is unacceptable to Nick. After managing to escape, Nick subsequently has to trek for many weeks through the Himalayas on the other side of the Tribal Line of Control. He ends up traveling with two very spiritual, noble men (Ghulam and Fidali) from these mountainous regions who invite Nick to accompany them under their aegis and experience with the harsh domain.

Introduced next are Aysha and Kazim, the stunning and brilliant Muslim star-crossed lovers from the small, primitive village of Indian-controlled Gilkamosh in the Kashmir mountains. They separate when Kazim leaves to train as a Mujahid in the rural mountains and Aysha goes to medical school in New Delhi. The question is whether they will reunite when she returns to Gilkamosh to open a clinic. This is also where Nick ends up after his long trek with Ghulam and Fidali.

After a short, lyrical, and haunting prologue, the story begins with muscular, crisp, and thrilling prose. The descriptions of landscape and the difficulties of survival from prison to the Himalayas and the crossing of the Tribal Line of Control are breathtaking. The author writes riveting details of these hardships, and a sense of immediacy and urgency lures the reader on. Additionally, the sensuous, enchanting coming-of-age story of Kazim and Aysha is very moving and compelling.

Unfortunately, as the novel deepens, the tone becomes inconsistent. From a brutal and sharp and often laconic tone at the beginning, the prose turns sentimental. And the parts written to reveal spiritual contemplation and reflection are conveyed through heavy-handed and expository writing. These cogitations tend to be synthetic and cloying. Instead of offering visionary and invigorating argument and thought into spiritual and religious debate, it offers up overused and simplistic notions.

The characters of Nick, Kazim, and Aysha are arch and three-dimensional, with realistic and textured lives and complex inner conflicts. However, they are often thwarted by the uneven tone and style, which lead us into convenient (and sometimes predictable) plot contrivances at various points in the story. And Ghulam, who starts out as enigmatic and formidable, narrows into a background caricature that emerges ceremoniously as a disposable vehicle for other characters or events.

The author has a cinematic talent to his writing, and I frequently envisioned a potent film version of the novel while reading. Mastras has a keen eye for visual appeal and sensuality when he isn't being derivative. Some of the dialogue and scenes could potentially be improved and heightened to correspond to this otherwise lush and exciting story. I was annoyed with one scene between Nick and Aysha that was all but airlifted from the movie Witness (with a few altered details); however, if you are not familiar with the movie, it could stir you with its intoxicating sensuality.

The climax of the story is powerful, and I had to tear my eyes away from the pages to digest and accept some of the bracing and harrowing scenes. I did feel largely satisfied by story's end, and I would recommend it with the caveat that it suffers from the pitfalls that impede many first-time novelists. I look forward to more from this author. 3.5

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Jul 25, 2011 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, mideast, asian, american, modern

Well-written first novel about an American fugitive who finds redemption - through people who already get it - during his experiences in wartorn Kashmir. Complex and wise on so many levels and filled with humanity, this marvellous book made me confront my own prejudices. Thrilling, romantic, and profound, this story would be an excellent choice for a book club discussion. Through the main character's catharsis, I felt a catharsis of my own. Bodhisattvas, like terrorists, can be found anywhere (e ...more

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Oct 01, 2013 Resalo rated it it was amazing

This is hands down one of the best novels that I have ever read. I stumbled upon this
novel as I was watching a roundtable discussion of the screenwriters for the popular
AMC TV series Breaking Bad. the author G Mastras was on of the writers and this book was mentioned.
This novel is skillfully developed from start to finish with no weak sections in the entire book.
Mastras weaves together characters and plots in an amazingly logical way such that you never doubt why they cross paths. The plot cente ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 Ken rated it really liked it

I was not expecting all that much, but this was my book club selection, so I read it. I thought that the Nick/Yvette story was unnecessary and added little to the book. Once I saw that Nick and Ayshe appeared to have feelings for each other, I thought the remainder of the book might be a love story between them and little else of substance. Of course, I was quite incorrect in my assumptions. I had not read a review of the book, so all that happened from there on was a surprise for me. I felt tha ...more

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May 02, 2009 Pamela Pickering rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure

4.25 stars. I really enjoyed this one. It had many elements: adventure, cultural diversity, religious philosophy, and redemption. Of course, it can get a little frustrating at times because one of the main character can be fairly stupid but still the story will hook you and keep you there for the whole book. One thing I liked about the book was that it just didn't focus on one character but highlighted a total of three which gave it a deeper dimension. Not quite a 5 star read though becauses it ...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Sandra rated it really liked it

OK. It is another "trekking across hostile places" book. Who would think I can find so many with this genre?

The main story is about Nick. His girlfriend (maybe more lover than girlfriend) is murdered. The Pakistani police think he did it. Nick escapes their prison and treks across Kashmir

(I can't say/type that word without singing the Led Zeppelin song. Music is now playing in my head).

Nick meets two smugglers (Fidali and Ghulam) along the way who help him. Fidali is a mysterious man, hence th ...more

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Sep 02, 2013 Chip rated it liked it

Starts out as a thriller, ends up as a spiritual quest. Got a bit bogged down in spots - not sure if it was my fault or the author's. And some of the plot points seemed very predictable. But overall, I liked it and I'm glad I stuck with it to the end.

One thing that really annoyed me was the almost useless map in the front of the book. I bookmarked it with a Post-It so I could refer to it easily, but almost none of the places visited in the book are on the map! (Okay, I understand that the villag ...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Patty rated it it was amazing

Beautifully written, this book goes way beyond a travelogue of the Himalayas. I initially thought it would be an adventure story and wasn't particularly interested in the "war zone" aspects of it. But it goes way beyond the headlines of "adventure" and "war" and takes you deep into the hearts and minds of its characters, like all good fiction does. And as a bonus, it's filled with lush, dense descriptions of the world in which it takes place. ...more

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Jul 06, 2009 Evie rated it it was amazing

Fidali's Way left me speechless. This is a beautiful novel, but more so, it truly is a way of "being." It is also a thriller in a sense, but only in that its action is a way of drawing the reader along the path to the true message of the book. Death, Rebirth of the Self, the Senselessness of War, Beauty of Earth and Natural Cycle, Love and Selflessness in so many manifestations all are presented against the backdrop of the Hindu Kush. ...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Brenda rated it liked it

Bit preachy for me but a compelling story nonetheless. Author ends chapters with a little too pat platitude, not trusting the reader to draw her own conclusions. Still, the ongoing stife in the Kashmir/India/Pakistan/Afghan region makes this an interesting read.

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About George Mastras

George Mastras

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George Mastras has worked as a criminal investigator for the public defender service, a counselor at a maximum security juvenile correctional facility, and a litigator in New York and Los Angeles. After ten years of practicing law, he quit his job, sold his belongings, and spent several years backpacking around the globe and trekking in the Himalayas, Karakorams, and Hindu Kush. Aside from writing ...more