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Silent Trees: A Novel of Afghanistan
It's the winter of 1978 in Kabul and all seems quiet.
Habib Dhil is a member of the privileged elite of Afghanistan. As the head of a powerful manufacturing concern, he has wealth, education, opportunities to travel, and a family history that gives him tremendous prestige. Yet Dhil is aloof, unable or unwilling to accept the notion that malfeasance and exploitation are prerequisites to fully joining the ruling class.
Despite his efforts to avoid entangling himself in government business, he has brought a complication upon himself. He is having an affair with Miriam, the daughter of the ruthless Prime Minister Khan and already promised in marriage to the king's son. Dhil is careful to keep the relationship a secret but worries they will be discovered.
One morning, he learns that his assistant has been arrested at the central depot while negotiating for the purchase of supplies. Dhil is compelled to personally arrange his employee's release, but doing so requires him to navigate through the unwieldy bureaucracy he has consciously avoided. For Dhil it is a loathsome task.
He thinks of seeking help from his close childhood friend, Alam Gol, now a colonel in the army. Gol's path has led him to seek the kind of power and influence that Dhil rejects.
Dhil does not know that his friend is on a mission assigned to him by the prime minister himself, who seeks even greater control over the nation. If successful, it will solidify Gol's influence in the government. But at the same time, Gol's actions may inadvertently put into motion events that could ruin or even destroy Dhil.
Dhil begins to realize that perhaps it is time for a new life in a different place, but the pull of his native land keeps a powerful hold. Can he let go? And if he can, will he have time to leave before it is too late?
This is an Afghanistan that few Americans ever experienced. Silent Trees offers a rare glimpse at the country before the freedom fighters known as the Mujahedeen, before the Taliban and the Warlords, and even before the time of the Soviet invasion. Although the story is fictional, it is remarkable in its accurate portrayal of the Afghan people—of all types—and its provocative exploration of larger, universal truths about the consequences that accompany the unchecked pursuit of power.
In Silent Trees, Habib Dhil will learn—as we all must—that when a select few ruthlessly control a people, everyone—the street vendor and the politician alike—is corrupted and suffers profoundly from the absence of liberty.
Habib Dhil is a member of the privileged elite of Afghanistan. As the head of a powerful manufacturing concern, he has wealth, education, opportunities to travel, and a family history that gives him tremendous prestige. Yet Dhil is aloof, unable or unwilling to accept the notion that malfeasance and exploitation are prerequisites to fully joining the ruling class.
Despite his efforts to avoid entangling himself in government business, he has brought a complication upon himself. He is having an affair with Miriam, the daughter of the ruthless Prime Minister Khan and already promised in marriage to the king's son. Dhil is careful to keep the relationship a secret but worries they will be discovered.
One morning, he learns that his assistant has been arrested at the central depot while negotiating for the purchase of supplies. Dhil is compelled to personally arrange his employee's release, but doing so requires him to navigate through the unwieldy bureaucracy he has consciously avoided. For Dhil it is a loathsome task.
He thinks of seeking help from his close childhood friend, Alam Gol, now a colonel in the army. Gol's path has led him to seek the kind of power and influence that Dhil rejects.
Dhil does not know that his friend is on a mission assigned to him by the prime minister himself, who seeks even greater control over the nation. If successful, it will solidify Gol's influence in the government. But at the same time, Gol's actions may inadvertently put into motion events that could ruin or even destroy Dhil.
Dhil begins to realize that perhaps it is time for a new life in a different place, but the pull of his native land keeps a powerful hold. Can he let go? And if he can, will he have time to leave before it is too late?
This is an Afghanistan that few Americans ever experienced. Silent Trees offers a rare glimpse at the country before the freedom fighters known as the Mujahedeen, before the Taliban and the Warlords, and even before the time of the Soviet invasion. Although the story is fictional, it is remarkable in its accurate portrayal of the Afghan people—of all types—and its provocative exploration of larger, universal truths about the consequences that accompany the unchecked pursuit of power.
In Silent Trees, Habib Dhil will learn—as we all must—that when a select few ruthlessly control a people, everyone—the street vendor and the politician alike—is corrupted and suffers profoundly from the absence of liberty.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2012
About the author
Nasir Shansab
3 books2 followersNasir Shansab was once Afghanistan’s leading industrialist before he was forced to leave the country in 1975. He has periodically returned to that country in the years since the U.S. invasion seeking better opportunities for the Afghan people.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 26, 2013
I started this book weeks ago...and then life interrupted me...so all my reading was put on hold for a while. When I started to read it again, a few days ago, I found it slow and plodding to read, but I persisted because I thought it would take me a while to find my way back to reading again...to find my momentum again. But I really wasn't enjoying the early part of the book because it was slow, meticulously detailed in its descriptions, and very gloomy. Then there was a point when the book suddenly exploded into political chaos and the characters' worlds began collapsing like a house of cards. The mood changed from gloomy to intense, stress-filled, and hopeless. This is not a book that offers the reader nuggets of wisdom or beauty in the face of evil....not even a glimmer of hope. It is a gritty, grotesque, and horribly realistic description of life in Afghanistan. I can't honestly say that I enjoyed the book, but It is very well-written, and I have learned so much from it, particularly the utter misery and hopelessness that many Afghani people have experienced. And that may just be the whole point of the book.
August 6, 2025
The premise for this plot was very promising but it just did not hold my attention. It was a little slow paced.
Many thanks to Bartley Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Many thanks to Bartley Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 2, 2019
This story had potential, but it was very poorly executed, I wouldn't recommend it.
August 21, 2015
Silent Trees: Power and Passion in War-torn Afghanistan, by Nasir Shansab, is a haunting story of a country on the verge of chaotic collapse. Most of the book is set in the late '70s, before the Soviet Invasion. It is told from the viewpoint of several major players, most notably the businessman Habib Dhil.
Despite assurances from American acquaintances that things are 'stable' in his home country of Afghanistan, Dhil has the intuition that this is not the case, and that the fragile stack of cards that is a corrupt government is about to come crashing down.
Other viewpoints include Maggie Reed, an American lover of Dhil's, Miriam, another lover, and two of Dhil's friends, Anwar Haq and Alam Gol. Each is connected to the other, and we hear each perspective of this interwoven story. I was very quickly drawn into the lives of these characters. There were no 'heroes' among these them. They were average, everyday people trying to survive in harsh circumstances. Some of them did some pretty horrible things, yet I still found myself hoping for the very best for each of them.
The writing is mostly prose, poetic and flowing. It was certainly easy to envision myself as part of the story. A scene near the beginning that I really became drawn into was a vision Maggie had of a long ago battle on the grounds of an old fort site she was visiting. The description was so vivid that I could hear the thunder of hooves and the clash of swords and see the frenzy of said battle raging around me.
The author, Nasir Shansab, is native Afghani, and I enjoyed the cultural quirks and customs written into Silent Trees. He lived through the historical events portrayed in the book, if not the actual fiction story itself. I cannot imagine going through such. I pray I never need know.
***This book was reviewed for Readers' Favourite.
Despite assurances from American acquaintances that things are 'stable' in his home country of Afghanistan, Dhil has the intuition that this is not the case, and that the fragile stack of cards that is a corrupt government is about to come crashing down.
Other viewpoints include Maggie Reed, an American lover of Dhil's, Miriam, another lover, and two of Dhil's friends, Anwar Haq and Alam Gol. Each is connected to the other, and we hear each perspective of this interwoven story. I was very quickly drawn into the lives of these characters. There were no 'heroes' among these them. They were average, everyday people trying to survive in harsh circumstances. Some of them did some pretty horrible things, yet I still found myself hoping for the very best for each of them.
The writing is mostly prose, poetic and flowing. It was certainly easy to envision myself as part of the story. A scene near the beginning that I really became drawn into was a vision Maggie had of a long ago battle on the grounds of an old fort site she was visiting. The description was so vivid that I could hear the thunder of hooves and the clash of swords and see the frenzy of said battle raging around me.
The author, Nasir Shansab, is native Afghani, and I enjoyed the cultural quirks and customs written into Silent Trees. He lived through the historical events portrayed in the book, if not the actual fiction story itself. I cannot imagine going through such. I pray I never need know.
***This book was reviewed for Readers' Favourite.
May 26, 2013
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
When I received my hardcover copy in the mail about a week before I started reading, I had a feeling it would prove to be a quick read and I was accurate in my guess. Considering our long-running war in Afghanistan, this novel accurately conveys a country marked by tragedy. Considering the paucity of impressive literature about or emerging from this nation sandwiched between Iran and Pakistan, it was nice to see a native's perspective. Throughout the book, one can catch glimpses of the author's impressions of his homeland and for that alone the book would be worth its purchase price. Although people today view Afghanistan as a country that has never advanced beyond the Stone Age, there was a time when the more extreme adventurers would travel into the hinterland (much like Nepal) and when Kabul could pride itself on being a bustling metropolis.
Although I would prefer not to reveal too much of the plot, I will say the novel provides for a thrilling read with more than a few tense moments and a personification of the Afghan people through its fictional characters. A fine read on the whole and a good way to spend the weekend.
When I received my hardcover copy in the mail about a week before I started reading, I had a feeling it would prove to be a quick read and I was accurate in my guess. Considering our long-running war in Afghanistan, this novel accurately conveys a country marked by tragedy. Considering the paucity of impressive literature about or emerging from this nation sandwiched between Iran and Pakistan, it was nice to see a native's perspective. Throughout the book, one can catch glimpses of the author's impressions of his homeland and for that alone the book would be worth its purchase price. Although people today view Afghanistan as a country that has never advanced beyond the Stone Age, there was a time when the more extreme adventurers would travel into the hinterland (much like Nepal) and when Kabul could pride itself on being a bustling metropolis.
Although I would prefer not to reveal too much of the plot, I will say the novel provides for a thrilling read with more than a few tense moments and a personification of the Afghan people through its fictional characters. A fine read on the whole and a good way to spend the weekend.
May 14, 2013
A strange book. I received it as a First Reads win (thank you). At first I was a bit put off by some very awkward writing in the first 100 or so pages, but I did get swept into the "okay, what is going to happen next" mind set as the author spun out the parallel stories of his protagonists.
I had wanted to read it because I was very intrigued at the thought of an Afghanistan-set novel by someone who had, perforce, been steeped in the history and struggles and culture of that country.
But...I don't know; not one of the characters was admirable; it was a book of nightmares with only a glimmer of hope and the reprieve of the nostalgia of a boyhood of freedom and horses. Or, boyhoods of freedom and horses.
We have corruption, rather off hand sexuality (women exist to be f*cked or to watch their families die, or, as in the introductory scene, to lie with their nipples hardened by the presence of a ghost. Or maybe the wind). We have life choices with no good outcomes ever. We have relentless pain.
It did occur to me that perhaps this book was conceived as a parable of the history of Afghanistan, torn and dishonored.
But still...
Well, thanks for the opportunity.
I had wanted to read it because I was very intrigued at the thought of an Afghanistan-set novel by someone who had, perforce, been steeped in the history and struggles and culture of that country.
But...I don't know; not one of the characters was admirable; it was a book of nightmares with only a glimmer of hope and the reprieve of the nostalgia of a boyhood of freedom and horses. Or, boyhoods of freedom and horses.
We have corruption, rather off hand sexuality (women exist to be f*cked or to watch their families die, or, as in the introductory scene, to lie with their nipples hardened by the presence of a ghost. Or maybe the wind). We have life choices with no good outcomes ever. We have relentless pain.
It did occur to me that perhaps this book was conceived as a parable of the history of Afghanistan, torn and dishonored.
But still...
Well, thanks for the opportunity.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews