In the Valley of Mist

Oct 6, 2024 10:24 PM

Author:Justine Hardy

Mohammed Dar and his three brothers were born in a boat on a lake in Kashmir, a place of exquisite beauty that was to become a war zone and nuclear flashpoint. This Himalayan valley of water, mist and mountains was once one of India's greatest tourist draws. In 1989 it exploded into insurgency. Kashmir became a rallying cry for jihadi movements all over the region and Pakistan's backing of the conflict triggered, in part, its own Islamist crisis. Mohammed Dar and his family found themselves living inside a new and foreign world of violence.

Justine Hardy has stayed with the Dar family for many years, reporting on the conflict. She tells their story of living through the destruction of their adored homeland. Through their eyes we see the rise of religious fundamentalism and intolerance, the ethnic cleansing of the Hindu population of the valley, and the recruitment of a generation to jihad. And, amid the fighting, families continue to try and educate their children, find work, and protect their physical and mental well-being, while attempting to build some kind of future beyond the annihilation of their old way of life. In The Valley of Mist is an extraordinary story of family survival, at the heart of a conflict within and beyond the Muslim world.

Reviews

Beautifully written...by a writer who knows [Kashmir] better than any other

—— David Loyn, BBC Foreign Correspondent

Fascinating and informative...one of the best ever books to profile the complex, violent Kashmir crisis.

—— Greg Mortensen, author of Three Cups of Tea

Deserves the warmest recommendation...[Hardy] can really write...A fine introduction to what [the situation in Kashmir] is all about.

—— Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent , Independent

Elegantly written and perceptive

—— Sunday Guardian

The strength of Hardy's writing is its honesty and keen observation. She tells it like it is. And sometimes it's heartbreakingly beautiful. At other times, the scene is bleak, but the writing is immediate...A book not just to read slowly, but to live slowly. Well done!

—— Outlookindia.com

In our age of unprecedented consumption and limited resources, our grannies can show us the way to a total lifestyle change

—— Irish Examiner

Illustrated throughout with jaunty, witty government posters... Nicol wants our latter-day green movement to look back and learn a thing or two from forgotten habits of the past'

—— Mary Blanche Ridge , The Tablet

Good old granny! Here's what she could teach today's throw-away society with its gas-guzzlers, bulging wardrobes and waistlines... When it comes to going green, our wartime grannies showed us the way

—— Unite

Get a copy...and find out what your war-time granny can teach you about going green

—— Irish Times

Charming and perceptive romp through the ration books... It is apparent that Nicol, whose words exude practical optimism, would have made a good Land Girl.

—— The Sunday Times

Illustrated throughout with jaunty, witty, government posters... Nicol wants our latter-day green movement to look back and learn a thing or two from forgotten habits of the past

—— The Tablet

Nostalgia drives this collection of Jack's journalism... Jack's backward-looking stance works best when he is exposing the vandalism of the past

—— Guardian

[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience

—— Jonathan Dore , Times Literary Supplement

It is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte

—— The Tablet

Wheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded

—— Big Issue

Is an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing

—— Katherine Hughes , The Mail on Sunday

Wonderful account of her journeys through the region

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

One of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read

—— Christopher Hirst , The Independent

Her writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing

—— Erica Wagner , The Times

A chilling and fascinating work

—— Guardian

Quite wonderful

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

Carries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing

—— James Urquhart , Financial Times

It is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area

—— Sebastian Clare , Irish Times

In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic

—— Jane Knight , The Times

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