The Collaborator

This debut from journalist Mirza Waheed is a powerhouse of a novel. Flipping with the ease of a pro between desperate times calling for desperate measures, family saga and political thriller, it tells the sorry story of four childhood friends who wile away the days in the idyllic paradise of Kashmir, until the inevitability of politics and war causes three of them to cross the border into Pakistan and join the fight against an out-of-control brutal Indian army.

The story focuses mainly on the one who got left behind, tied to the headstrong traditions of his father and caring for him. He takes a job with the Indian army, going into the valley of dead defectors and guerrilla fighters every week, to collect IDs and weapons and return to the drunk army chief. Each time he expects to see one of his friends.

At this point, it’s best to not tell you anymore about the plot because where the book leads from here, deep into the valleys of Kashmir and the minds of its residents, where the book leads our hero, unpredictable and under duress, is so wholly satisfying that it’s worth letting the book, occasionally shocking occasionally poignant always powerful, unfold at its own pace, as the masterful storytelling, which juxtaposes internal and external politics with such lucidity, drives you towards its conclusion. This is an early contender for book of the year.