Charming and unpredictable … A narrative style fizzing with surprise

Observer

As in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Kochai uses the viewpoint of a child to shape a narrative that presents the realities of war with a degree of innocence. But where Hosseini shocks, Kochai, whose band of teenagers are loutish, naughty and effortlessly funny, has a rarer talent: he makes us laugh

Literary Review

A revelation, in every sense of the word ... A romp, a poem, a prayer, a song of childhood, like youth itself, the writing is all energy, adventure, and possibility. Jamil Jan Kochai is an astoundingly talented writer. Listen up

Justin Torres, author of We the Animals

Imagine a twelve-year-old Don Quixote traversing a world full of absurdities and tragedies ... Hilariously sad and heartbreakingly funny. Jamil Jan Kochai, a thrilling new writer, achieves in this book that rare quality of a storyteller both ageless and contemporary

Yiyun Li, author of Gold Boy, Emerald Girl

Ferocious, funny, rude, and freewheeling, 99 Nights in Logar is an insider's portrait of modern Afghanistan - written with deep affection and zero piety. A brilliant and stylish debut

Karan Mahajan, author of The Association of Small Bombs

A first novel of tremendous promise. 99 Nights in Logar unfolds with complexity and inventiveness, revealing the many ways each generation must contend with the decisions of the generations before. An auspicious debut that captures with great urgency what awaits the generation coming of age now

Idra Novey, author of Ways to Disappear