The Afghan

This is my first time me reading a Frederick Forsyth novel, The Afghan. My reading habit started during my school days when my school friend Aloke Sahu introduced  me a library in which he was a member, located at Kellys Corner. And from there, my choice of books ranged from The Adventures of Tintin, Asterix and Obelix to John Grisham, Sidney Shedon and Robert Ludlum.  My biggest struggle in reading any novel is finishing off the first chapter. If I could finish off the first chapter without any hiccups in one go, then its for sure I would finish off the novel at any cost. However, I had to read the first chapter of 'The Afghan' several times to really understand what the author is trying to tell. Yes, I found it difficult to imagine certain narrations of the author. I know that Forsyth do not sound like authors like Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, Erle Stanley Gardner, Robert Ludlum or Danielle Steel, who became my favorites. I found Forsyth being one level up for me.

'The Afghan' is a thriller novel about a planned AQ terrorist attack and how the good men go doing something about it. Forsyth had done his homework so well that he had narrated the plots and twists with much accuracy. I was carried away with more of his detailed description of each and every aspect involved in the story than the enjoying the pleasure of reading a thriller. Even in the climax, I was not able to imagine how the protagonist prevented the mishap from happening. Giving depth to every scene extravagantly deprives the user the sheer excitement of reading a thriller novel.

I am not rating Forsyth as a bad author but I would like to grab more opportunities in reading his other novels to understand more about his style of writing and his way of narrating.