The Blind Man's Garden - Tapa dura

This is a powerful, moving novel about love, friendship, war. Magnificent. The Times

A gripping and moving piece of storytelling that gets the calamitous first act in the 'War on Terror' on to the page with grace, intelligence and rare authenticity. Guardian

A gripping work ... Aslam is a wonderful talent, and we are lucky to have him. Sunday Telegraph

Powerful and quite astounding... Aslam s masterpiece. The National

Once or twice a year a book stuns me. The Blind Man s Garden has done just that. Independent on Sunday

A monumental novel of love and conflict. Independent

Page after page of compelling story-telling. Daily Mail

A brave, passionate narrative, rich in symbolism and hard truths. The Irish Times

There is no disputing the passion and urgency of Aslam s work. Its elegantly raw humanity appeals to the soul. Irish Times

A wonderful book - as propulsive as any thriller yet leavened with subtlety.

--Metro

Love is not consolation, it is light.' From the author of Maps for Lost Lovers comes a searing, exquisitely written novel set in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the months following 9/11 - a story of war, of one family's losses, and of the simplest, most enduring human impulses. Jeo and Mikal, foster-brothers from a small Pakistani city, secretly enter Afghanistan: not to fight with the Taliban, but to help and care for wounded civilians. But it soon becomes apparent that good intentions can't keep them out of harm's way... From the wilds of Afghanistan to the heart of the family left behind - their blind father haunted for years by the death of his wife, by the mistakes he may have made in the name of Islam and nationhood, Jeo's steadfast wife and her superstitious mother - Aslam's prose takes us on an extraordinary journey, through war, tragedy, love and brotherhood.