Shooting Kabul

“Fadi tuned out his sisters’ phenomenally boring conversation. Added a chunk of crumbly brown sugar to his watered-down hot milk, and stirred.” 

The second part of this sentence accomplishes the same purpose as the passage above, which is to show the family’s strained circumstances in a natural way. The first part of the sentence presents an important irony because even though Fadi finds his sisters’ conversation about the Barbie doll boring, after he loses Mariam, he will fixate on Gulmina and think about her daily.

“Whenever someone is handed lots of power, they have a tendency to abuse it.” 

Habib’s statement about why the formerly upright Taliban became oppressive is that power corrupts, a universal idea that implies that the Taliban’s Islamic beliefs and Pukhtun culture are not to blame for their turn to militancy.

“His father had paid human traffickers twenty thousand dollars, the family’s entire savings, to get them out of Afghanistan into neighboring Pakistan.” 

Many readers will have a negative impression of human traffickers, seeing them as profiteers who take advantage of the poor, endangering them by illegally crossing borders, or worse—traffickers of women and girls for sexual slavery. The Nurzais’ reliance on human traffickers to escape a dangerous, oppressive regime gives the reader an alternate point of view; sometimes what we see as moral and immoral, legal and illegal, are not so clear cut.

“The hot embers of guilt burned through his mind, and his thoughts flew back to the night of their escape.” 

This moment takes place as Fadi boards the plane out of Pakistan. Throughout the novel, Fadi’s thoughts are at odds with his location. Even as he moves closer to freedom, his mind wanders back to the night of his family’s escape, a clear sign of trauma. The passage is significant because part of Fadi’s fixation on guilt is a way to buffer his own traumatic experience, which only lightens after he tells his secret. 

“…your family is greatly honored in Afghanistan […]. We have heard heroic tales of how your brothers fought against the treacherous Soviets and helped defeat them.” 

These lines are spoken by one of the young Taliban members who visit Habib to persuade him to join them. By invoking Habib’s brothers’ military service, they insinuate Habib’s refusal to join them would dishonor his family. 

“There was nothing heavenly about the place Fadi’s father had rented at the Paradise Apartment complex. […] There was no beauty here, just the faded ghosts of past tenants who’d moved on to better things.” 

These lines symbolize the double world in which Fadi lives. He and his family have achieved political asylum in the United States. Compared to their unstable life in Kabul, the United States might be their “paradise.” The apartment is ironically named, however, because just like their new home in America, it is far from perfect. Fadi notes the “ghosts” of memory that haunt the apartment, just as his guilt about Mariam haunts him.

“Taking a bite of his cheeseburger, Fadi sat alone, watching students flurry around him like snowflakes in a blizzard. He felt as though he were hidden behind a camera lens, watching another world whirl past in shattered fragments.” 

Fadi uses his camera as a filter between himself and the world. The camera allows him to be an observer without taking part in the events around him. This moment characterizes Fadi as a watcher rather than a participant, and his personality changes as circumstances force him to become directly involved in his life’s events.

“Soon he was lost in capturing images of carefree children playing on the jungle gym or pumping their legs on the swings. There was no film in the camera, but that didn’t matter.” 

This passage is another example of how important photography is to Fadi. Fadi is in the park; he could just as easily put down his empty camera and watch the children play. His choice to frame the scene through his empty camera demonstrate not only how important photography is to him but his need to feel a sense of control over his surroundings.

“Fadi shook his head. An image flickered in his brain, like a hazy still from a reel of film. It was Noor laughing intimately with the tattooed boy in the narrow alley behind the McDonald’s.” 

Fadi is thinking about his sister, with whom he does not yet have a good relationship. He keeps the image of Noor laughing with the boy at a distance because it has shown him a side of Noor’s personality he has never seen. The build-up of photography imagery signals the importance of the photo club that Fadi wants to join and foreshadows the importance of photography in Fadi’s quest to find Mariam.

“I’m such a loser. I couldn’t even get out of the trunk, let alone get on a plane. I’ve failed Mariam. Again.” 

Throughout the novel, Fadi allows distorted thinking to influence his judgment. Ironically, Fadi’s obsession with what he sees as his failures signals to the reader that Fadi believes himself capable of such a grand feat as flying halfway around the world to find his sister in a refugee border camp. This plan is likely impossible for anyone, let along an 11-year-old boy, but Fadi feels not only that he is responsible but that he has the power to master the situation. 

“Fadi practically ran to school on Tuesday morning, Noor’s money safely tucked away in an envelope in his backpack.” 

Irony underscores each of the turning points in Fadi’s journey. The day that Fadi’s dark mood finally disappears because he has gotten the money to join the photo club is September 11, 2001. Even as his fortunes seem to be improving, the aftermath of the terrorist attacks is about to make his life more difficult. Senzai’s use of irony is important because it underscores life’s complexity, one of the main themes of the novel.

“‘Once Osama was a hero.’ A man in a leather jacket sighed. ‘He helped defeat the Soviets.’” 

This observation, spoken by a man at the local market where Fadi accompanies Habib, adds insight to the terrorist attack and the history of Osama bin Laden by referencing Afghanistan’s complex history. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and through international aid and perseverance, the small country defeated the world power. Having beaten the Soviets is a source of pride to which the conversation often returns, but at the same time, the Soviet-Afghan War left the country in shambles and paved the way for dictators to take power.

“The last judge was Clive Murray, a photojournalist from the Société Géographique. He was a world-renowned ‘image maker’ and had won countless awards. […] Clive’s trademark photography style was ‘capturing the essence of human diversity, cultures, struggles, and joy.’” 

Clive Murray is important to the narrative because he represents the kind of photographer Fadi strives to become. Fadi’s discovery of Mariam in Murray’s photo symbolically links the two, perhaps suggesting the kind of photographer Fadi will become. This storyline hints that after the novel concludes, Fadi will continue to improve his skills, focusing less on winning prizes and more on authentically capturing his subjects. 

“He glared at a smiling Barbie in a fluffy lavender dress, and his hands balled into fists. It’s her fault. He heard a scream echo through the store, not realizing that it came from his own throat.” 

Fadi’s breakdown in the toy store represents the culmination of his anger, to the extent that he begins to have irrational thoughts. Blaming the Barbie for Mariam’s disappearance allows him to transfer his guilt onto an inanimate object; otherwise, he would have to entertain the idea that someone else in his family could be guilty, which he does not want to do.

“‘You’ve really captured a stunning image, Fadi,’ […]. ‘The idea of San Francisco being a cultural mosaic—literally a collage of different cuisines—is very clear.’” 

Through Fadi’s desire to portray different cultures in his photographs, Senzai emphasizes the importance of recognizing America’s diversity. These moments contrast the depictions of Islamophobia and racism Fadi and his family experience and serve as a reminder that diversity can prevail over discrimination.

“Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from both U.S. and British ships this evening, signaling the start of Operation Enduring Freedom […] The initial military objective, as articulated by President George W. Bush, is to destroy terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al-Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities.” 

Fadi hears this report on the radio while he and his father are at the Khyber Pass restaurant. The news is doubly disturbing because the adults realize the significance of the attack as the United States’ desire for retaliation, while Fadi wonders if the bombing will endanger Mariam. It is significant that the chapter is titled “October 7th,” while the chapter detailing the September 11 attacks is titled “Catastrophe.” The day of the terrorist attacks is identified as Tuesday, but the text does not mention the exact date. The act of specifying the date of the US’s attack on Afghanistan presents a different side of this period in history.

“Fadi looked across the small dining table and smiled slightly as Noor gave him a wink. For a moment, despite all the chaos swirling around him, his heart felt full. He was thankful for his family, thankful that they were safe.” 

This scene is a rare moment in which Fadi lets down his guard, stops obsessing about his guilt, and allows himself to be present with his family. When he first heard about the bombings in Afghanistan, he could only think of how they might put Mariam in danger. Now, he can recognize the preciousness of his family’s safety without chastising himself.

“He’d read that of all subjects, people made the best photographs, since nothing fascinated humans more than looking at other people.”

As Fadi prepares to photograph his grandparents, he recalls Murray’s bio in which the artist discusses his approach to choosing subjects. The statement is a metaphor for why we are drawn to other cultures, and why we desire to learn about the “other.” Senzai implies that this looking can be done with compassion or violence, and Fadi’s intention is to create a photo in which the audience sees the former.

“The viewfinder sought each line in Abay’s and Dada’s faces, which told the tale of the life they had led, filled with joy, pain, challenge, and triumph.” 

This passage is a turning point for Fadi and signals his character development: It is the first time in the novel that he sees events from someone else’s perspective. Allowing himself to see through his grandparents’ eyes takes him outside the world of guilt he has built for himself. While taking the photo, he still wants to win the contest, but this moment signifies that he is beginning to broaden his point of view.

“‘She ran away,’ said Habib. ‘She told the youngest son she was leaving and had him promise he wouldn’t tell his parents till she was gone. She thanked them for their help, but said that she needed to find her family on her own.’” 

Habib relates this news after a call from a family member in Peshawar who has been searching for Mariam. Ironically, just like Fadi, Mariam believes that she must solve her problem on her own. It is possible that, like Fadi, Mariam feels guilty for having been left behind. Even though she is only six, the passage makes it clear that she is independent and fearless. Like Fadi, though, she is foolhardy because her youth prevents her from understanding the impossibility of the task she is undertaking.

“Fadi sat back as the cold numbness that had frozen his body turned into hot, boiling anger. How could I not have won? It was so unfair! He pounded the table with his fist and ran out of the room.” 

Although Fadi has begun to show maturity in his attitude toward his family, he reacts with immature anger when he discovers that he did not win the competition. Not only is he upset because he believes he has lost his chance to find Mariam, but he is also upset because he cannot believe that another student took a better photograph. Fadi’s arrogance is mixed with his feeling of injustice, signaling that he has a long way to go on his path to maturity.

“A cooling salve of revenge rose up within Fadi. It was time for his badal.” 

Fadi’s friends tell him that they have a chance to corner the bullies, and it appears Fadi may use this opportunity to take out his anger about the contest on Ike and Felix. From witnessing the bullies’ behavior in previous chapters, readers may sympathize with Fadi and the other boys, but there is suspense in the question of how far Fadi will go if something else is driving his need for revenge.

“You can’t second-guess yourself. It was fate that determined how things turned out.” 

Ms. Bethune tells Fadi this after he reveals his motivation for wanting to win the contest. By invoking fate, she tries to convey that not only was it not Fadi’s fault, but that it was not anybody’s fault that Mariam was left in Kabul. Senzai makes a larger point here about our desire to maintain agency in a situation in which we have no control, even if it means blaming ourselves. Believing we are wrong can be easier than accepting that bad things happen for no reason.