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MWSA Review
An Absence of Faith effectively conveys the underlying causes of the twenty-year debacle in Afghanistan that followed the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. The author uses fictional characters to illustrate both the deep-seated intricacies of Afghan culture and the well-meaning efforts of a few principled individuals to infuse Western values and ethics into the equation.
Within weeks of the devastating terror attacks of September 11, 2001, The United States molded a coalition of more than fifty other nations to support the invasion of Afghanistan, considered to be the wellspring of global terror. At the time, Afghanistan had been under the rule of the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, which had gained control of the country following the departure of Soviet forces.
The central narrative takes place between August of 2015 and October of 2016—a critical period following the assassination of Osama Bin Laden and the declared official end of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The key protagonist is an American Army Reserve colonel, sent on a one-year tour of duty to stem the rampant corruption in the Afghan military and government. Perspective into the culture and plight of the Afghan people comes through the eyes of an Afghan army private who ultimately joins the Taliban. The narrative alternates between these two viewpoints, effectively describing the complex challenges on both sides of the conflict.
In addition to the engaging fictional story lines, the author takes great care to provide historic and contemporary backgrounds that help the reader to better understand the cultural environments confronting his characters.
The result is an absorbing and understandable explanation of the many misconceptions and failures of the latest attempt by Western nations to impose their values and ethics on the unruly country which has rightfully earned the epithet “graveyard of empires.”
An Absence of Faith is recommended reading for anyone looking for clearer understanding of at least some of the many reasons for the failure of America’s involvement in Afghanistan.
Review by Peter Young (March 2025)
Author's Synopsis
An Absence of Faith: A Tale of Afghanistan is the story of Daniyal, a Kabul University student kidnapped into the Afghan army where he is caught up in a vast criminal conspiracy to steal Western military aid. The story takes the reader into the heart of the Afghanistan war, where Afghan soldiers are daily brutalized and their food and medicine are sold by their generals for their personal profit.. While Daniyal struggles to survive, Colonel William Trevanathan, U.S. Army, is given the mission to stop Afghan corruption to convince NATO allies not to abandon an increasingly unpopular war. Both Daniyal and Trevanathan struggle to maintain their humanity and principles amidst a conflict where your ally is your enemy and the strong prey upon the weak. An insightful view into how Afghan corruption, Western bureaucratic infighting, and a lack of accountability over billions in Western aid money paved the way for the return of the Taliban.
Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 392
Word Count: 112374