When We Were Twins

From their privileged childhood in Egypt, the paths of once-inseparable twins Taher and Aisha diverge early:When the USSR invades Afghanistan, Taher abandons their shared plans to study medicine in Europe, instead joining their cousin, Ahmed, as a medic for the mujahideen fighting the Soviets. As Aishas Western perspective grows, so does her fear for her brother, who is becoming increasingly radicalized during the civil war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. With powerful imagery, Danuta HincsWhenWe Were Twinsshows how innocence and loyalty to those we love can be twisted by political forces, leading a young man to choose a fateful path that changes the course of history.The questions Hincs novel exploresabout love and war, about family, peace, and the price of freedomcouldnt be more urgent. Her imagination revs at full throttle, and we would be wise to go along for the ride. ASKOLD MELNYCZUK, author ofThe Man Who Would Not BowInfused with urgency and propelled by a sense of the world in catastrophe mode SVEN BIRKERTS, author ofChanging the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet AgeA deceptively simple novel brimming with visions and allegoriesHinc has created a work of historical imagination. MARIA BUSTILLOSTaher is a memorable protagonistA psychological snapshot of radicalization, intelligently charted by the authorKIRKUS REVIEWS