Kabul under the Taliban is a wasteland, its gangrenous breath reeking of explosives, smoke and despair. Its only color comes from the roses, the sweetest-smelling roses in the world. Rukhsana, spirited and beautiful, is desperate to escape the blighted city and the attentions of a powerful Talib who fancies her, but she has a sick mother and a younger brother to care for. As life in the Afghan capital gets even worse, it is clear that she will have to flee if she is to live…
Timeri N. Murari began his career as a reporter for a Canadian newspaper before moving to London to write for The Guardian, Sunday Times and other newspapers, and magazines. He also wrote columns and articles for The Hindu, Frontline and the Indian Express. He has written sixteen novels, five non-fiction books, a young adult trilogy, stage plays and screenplays. Time included his film, Daayra, in its top ten films of the year in which it was screened and he later directed it as a stage play, starring Parminder Nagra. His novel Taj has been translated into twenty-five languages and The Taliban Cricket Club into eight.