Very difficult to read because it is padded with quoted passages in smaller print and footnotes. The quotes from Babur's travels are relevant to the adventure, but I wish Mr. Stewart had found a less annoying way to include them.

While we never learn why the author made this trip--other than it was the final leg of his journey--I think he was about as well prepared, educated, and experienced as a westerner could be in that part of the world. Still, it was a ridiculously dangerous thing to do and I fear that there are idiots out there who know nothing other than how to walk who will attempt the same trip.

Other reviewers complain that the author did not spend enough time describing the views as he walked. I disagree. How much is there to say about snowy, cold mountainous winter landscapes? I think he covered the geographic descriptions pretty well.

I felt, as did the author, that the looting of the priceless antiquities is a terrible shame. He was very restrained in his retelling of what he witnessed, but I could feel his horror.

For me the best part of the story was Rory Stewart's adoption of the dog, Babur. Until the dog appeared Mr. Stewart seemed sort of robotic. His affection and his attempts to care for the dog warmed my heart and added some humanity to the book. I don't know how a huge dog like that who walked miles a day in the cold could survive on scraps of bread and water. I so hoped that Babur would make it back to Scotland so he could live a life of well fed leisure for his remaining days.

It was interesting to me that women were almost invisible on this trip. The few he did meet had never been more than a few miles outside their remote villages.

Even though this book is very frustrating to read I think I will remember it long after the other books I read during the last few months. For that and its uniqueness it deserves four stars. I do want to advise Mr. Stewart to not give-up his day job to become an artist.

I understand and concur to a qualified extent with some of the less than glowing reviews here. Yes, the prose is sparse. Yes, our author doesn't seem to talk very much about himself. Yes, Tom Bissell's review in the NYT is ridiculously encomiastic...."a novelist's sense of character"...??? I wonder what particular novelist Mr. Bissell had in mind. But to counter these criticisms, I would offer two pointed rejoinders.

1) Stewart makes clear that the Emperor Babur's account is the model for his own. Indeed, passages from Babur make up a great part of the book. Readers seemed to have skimmed the passage on p.11 of my copy about Babur:

"At times it seems the only thing missing from the story is himself. He never explains what drives him to live this extraordinary life and take these kinds of risks. He does not describe his emotions, and as a result can seem distant and the episodes of his life, repetitive. Confronted by dead bodies or people trying to kill him, he writes in increasingly dispassionate and impersonal prose. But this restraint only emphasizes the extraordinary nature of his experiences."

Rory has followed Babur's formula to the letter.

2) I can not help but notice how much a sort of class envy hangs over these critical reviews: "bratty", "Eton boy", "super privileged" are just some of the adjectives applied to Mr. Stewart. I would submit to these reviewers that they come across as more than a little ill-natured and absurd. If you have taken the sorts of risks with your life as Rory does here, if you have suffered from dysentery and managed to keep walking through sub-zero weather day upon day, then let fly with the slings and arrows of your resentment. If not, pray don't expose yourself as an armchair yob with a twelve tonne chip on your shoulder.

I don't myself know why Rory took this journey. He doesn't seem to know either. I don't know why he adopted a dog whose teeth had been knocked out by villagers to accompany him, naming him Babur after the emperor. It may well be that he's completely mad. If so, we could do with a little more madness in the world. The book and its author have their flaws, but a lack of intrepidity or kindness, to animals and men, are not among them. Good job, Rory. I'm glad you made it through.

It's an odd sensation in a travel book to be guided by a traveler who remains, for 300 pages, a cipher. Stewart reveals virtually nothing about himself or about his motive for undertaking his dangerous, difficult, and (evidently) unrewarding journey--on foot, no less. In fact, there's something distinctly bratty about Stewart's approach to the whole endeavor: he made the trip because he "wanted to," he repeats, and one can almost hear him stamping his foot; his evident lack of any need to support himself for years at a time (he has bundles of cash at his disposal and, at the end of the journey to Afghanistan, returns to "his room" in his parents' house in Scotland) and his conviction that he should be fed and housed by strangers all the way across Afghanistan (but not accompanied or told where to go) have a distinctly elitist and slightly juvenile ring to them, which is not completely surprising given Stewart's parentage and social status (read his Wikipedia biography to get a hint of the manor to which he was born). The people that he meets, meanwhile, are with few exceptions entirely dreadful--dull when they are not outright dangerous, rude when they are not simply miserable, malicious and sadistic when they are not merely indifferent. Nor are the villages he visits anything to write home about, each one essentially identical to another in its revolting, raw-sewage-and-war-debris sameness. The landscape--which Stewart frequently cannot see because he is walking through blinding snowstorms--gets even shorter shrift, and Stewart only occasionally remembers to describe the quality of light at sunset or the shape of a mountain range. Indeed, one gathers that all of that was wholly secondary; his goal was the destination (Kabul), never the journey. (And that's perhaps no surprise, given how ghastly Afghanistan appears in Stewart's version.) The inclusion, meanwhile, of the numerous grade-school-quality sketches that Stewart inked into his journal is a blunder that undermines what little seriousness the book can lay claim to. Stewart hints occasionally that he's bedeviled by unhappy memories or regrets as he walks, but that's as close as he lets anyone come to a glimpse of what's taking place inside his head or of what his reactions are to most of the things that happen to him. That's a fatal flaw in a book that has so little else to offer the reader. If the Afghans are essentially unknowable and alien, if the places are unremarkable and monotonous, and if the narrator slowly disappear as he writes, the whole edifice of the project crumbles. Stewart's only tears in the book are for an animal and never for the human misery he traipses through, as much proof as anyone should surely need that he is (or was) a callow, overprivileged youth on walkabout and that _The Places In Between_ got published through high-society connections and not because Stewart had anything particularly meaningful to say. In a country as barren and forbidding as Afghanistan, the places in between are largely voids, and it is a void that Stewart's book most faithfully transmits.

Afghanistan is a country that I wanted to understand better. This book did not help in that regard. Yes, it was an easy read, but I did not learn much about that part of the country. The writer never explained sources of income, sources of food, opportunities or hopes. In the end I felt that I read a book about a man who is taking a stupid journey, and I wasted my time reading about a senseless venture. Why take a walk through central Afghanistan in the middle of the winter with no real reason or support, a few weeks after the fall of the Taliban? Serves him right to freeze, get dysentery and in general have a miserable trip.

If he was on a CIA mission, then it would have been helpful to let us know what he was looking for and how he was going to find the requested information. As is was, it simply seemed a senseless walk.

The book is a rather detached narration and at the end one feels the author needed to say more; an analysis of the people, their life, the wretchedness and an absolute destruction of the society. it seems that he is unaffected by what he sees!

The value of reading the book is a realization of the absolute devastation of the lives of the Afghans. A rich culture being driven to a primitive state where participants have become numb to their surroundings and life has little value. The book is undoubted peppered with a few good perspectives, such as the global media hype on the Bhuddah's destroyed by the Taliban (a sad affair in its own right) but pale compared to the numerous villages and people burnt and killed by them.

I borrowed this book from a friend, he explained a Scot crosses Afghanistan on foot shortly after 9/11/01. Seems like it would be action packed? Not quite, it must be hard to write a revealing travel journal about a people that aren't very revealing themselves. Although the Muslims do consider themselves first class in terms of hospitality towards travelers believe it or not.

Well, it's a welcome window on a world that we are educated on very little and as you read further you understand why so little is known. First, it is very hard to get to. Second, literacy and technology seem to be very sparce and thus info on this area does not travel far.

An interesting excerpt, one night Mr. Stewart is going to bed as villagers listen to a translated BBC transmission of Bill Gates explaining bundling Internet Explorer with Windows; these villagers marry their first cousins and do not use toilet paper they could not possibly have an idea what Mr. Gates is talking about.

You have to respect Rory's timing in all this, to him it is simply an opportunity to finish his epic trek. And after the reader finds out he can speak Persian fairly fluently that "danger element" an American reader might have intially presumed about his adventure seems to dissolve into a snapshot of conversations that seem perfectly logical.

Bottom line, it's worth your time. But perhaps a little reading up the modern history of Afghanistan wouldn't hurt. Stewart skims the political history in a way that I would have felt shorted if I hadn't read up on it elsewhere.

A quick read that covers in his eye's the way of life of a people or culture that most of us will never comprehend. I don't know why he did it either; maybe it's that some people are apt to roam the world. Stewart is not a Novelist, as some people have tried to critique him on unfairly, but does write in a fashion that you can relate to. It is more of a journal than a story but I found it very interesting and informative. Why some reviews have tried to compare Rory Stewart to Barbour who is the original traveler, explorer extraordinaire is beyond me. I don't think he ever really tried to make himself out to be someone he is not although he is an accomplished Diplomat and PR veteran from the first Gulf War. My opinion is that we should all read this short book just to gain some insight into the minds of the Afghanistan culture. They are a proud people that in some ways more respectful and polite, especially to travelers, than anyone in the western world (not in all ways but in some).

In theory, it is easy to hate an Eton educated upper class Scotsman who decides it'd be a lark to walk across Afghanistan six months after the fall of the Taliban. But after reading Stewarts book, I have to say it is extremely good. We learn next to nothing about Stewart here outside of the details of daily walking. He is cold, he has dysentery, he is hungry, etc other than that, the focus is almost entirely on the people he meets, and I cannot think of a travel book that does a better job of honestly relating the lives of the people the writer meets.

Not every Afghan in this book is a noble tribesman; some are downright unkind to Stewart. Others are incredibly welcoming. Some are Taliban supporters; some are not. Some are drug dealers and some are subsistence farmers. I think the honestly in Stewart's portrayal of the Afghans he meets is very respectful and his writing of this book is the best outcome of this kind of experience I can imagine.

Rory Stewart's decision to walk across Afghanistan in early-2002 is the topic of this bold and thoughtful travelogue. It was hard to resist buying this book, as much for its imprimatur as a NY Times bestseller, as for its provocative and engaging subject matter. And sure enough, Stewart makes a spirited attempt at providing interesting insights into the customs and lifestyles of the people he meets. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, and the ample vignettes about the villages and families that he encounters along the way

Where the book suffers is in its matter-of-fact style. There's not much emotion in Stewart's descriptions. The days and chapters seem to bleed together until you reach the end of the book, wondering what his conclusions are. This may be a byproduct of the author's journalistic background. Or the fact that he took notes at the end of exhausting days, and then wrote the book back home in Scotland, publishing it some two years after his adventure.

In any case, "The Places in Between" both educates and entertains. But I suspect that you'll come away from this book thinking that it's average at best in the travel writing genre.

I have been researching the U.S. war in Afghanistan for almost 4 years. Now, with 4 devastating mid-winter 2008 reports on the 'progress' of this terrible war, it is good to read a book by a man who understands the people and the country of Afghanistan. The book is neither "entertaining" nor "unremarkable." Stewart (awarded an OBE) who runs the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Kabul. is a person with a sincere and deep understanding of Afghan reality. Read more about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Stewart/ Then read this classic book about his winter walk with his mastiff through the mountains of this amazing country. Thank you, Mr. Stewart. I only wish you had taken a camera with you.

This book was fairly interesting to me. I liked the stories about the people that Rory met along his journey. The book really did show how bad the situation was for many of the people in Afghanistan. I also really enjoyed the mini history lessons spread throughout the text. I am currently majoring in history at Millersville University, so these parts were of particular interest to me. I think while this book was good, it lacked description of what the journey itself was truly like. I think I expected more descriptions of his actual travel than what was included. Honestly I believe that a book about some of the other travels he mentions, like the walk he did across Nepal would have made a more interesting book. Still, I think this one was worth the money I payed for it.

As the reader might know, this book details a walking trip Mr Stewart did through Afghanistan in 2001.
In my opinion, the key interesting things about Mr Stewart's work include:
- It's respectful: he never tries to judge the different Afghan cultures he encounters. He actually tries to respect all customs and people, in order to continue his journey.
- It's sensible: in a very subdued way, Stewart reflects and brings us his feelings as we traversed through that troubled country.
- It's not an exciting, full-of-adrenaline book: it flows slowly and reflectively.
- Even though it's sort of a travel book, it does not fully delve into the "local attractions".
In summary, the book is about Mr Stewart's journey and about the things he saw, heard, lived and felt as he traveled. It's a different book to many others I read before.
I suggest this book to everybody. It's eye-opening, it's a good way to learn about other cultures respectfully. I will just warn the reader that I felt the book was too slow sometimes, and thus it took me a while to read it (you don't go back to read it with excitement). Still, it's memorable and special.

Stewart's account of his walk across (nearly all of) Afghanistan sort of had to succeed, on some level -- he writes interesting prose, the subject is fascinating, and Stewart possesses the cultural savvy and curiosity necessary to pull it off. The Places In Between is a very fast read and delves into some interesting features of Afghan national and tribal identities that seem to escape the media outlets that report from there on a daily basis.

But on another level, the book is something of a disappointment. It's not clear what Stewart's goal(s) were in making the trek across Afghanistan. His most probing sociopolitical question to his hosts is, "Who do you want to be president?" He makes some well-founded criticisms of NGO activity in the country, but doesn't follow through. He spins a few interesting tales about how this village relates to that and how the thread of violence runs through nearly everyone's history, but never digs deeper to explore fundamental questions about what sets Afghanistan apart from the rest of Central Asia.

In the end, one wonders if the hellish pace and poor timing of Stewart's walk to Kabul are what ultimately rendered this account a little hollow. He never seems to have spent much time in any one place; he reports being always exhausted upon reaching his destination and mustn't have had the energy to ask desperately needed questions about Afghan life. For some reason he does not explain, his own agenda for this walk left no room for sharing these people's lives for more than a few scant moments.

In the end, the book succeeds as a travelogue from a land Westerners simply must get to know better. It certainly whets the appetite for learning more about the land of Babur, the Taliban, and Karzai. And it is such a fast read that it more than pays for the time you'll invest in it. But it will leave you wishing the author had dug just a little deeper.

I read Stewart's other book "The Prince of the Marshes" and like his dry wit and his candid approach to pompous sheiks, village elders or slick bodyguards. A man of his age and smarts can do what most of us can't: walk across Afghanistan and live to write about it.

Why would ANYONE walk across such a god-forsaken country as Afghanistan in the first place? All the people seemed to be of the same beggar gene: give-me-money-or-we-will-shoot-you mentality. After his first week on the road with his "bodyguards" I am surprised he remained steadfast to walk this trip alone. Eventually he outsmarted and out-walked his bodyguards and the pace improved.

I agree with some of the reviewers that parts of the book seem to drag on. Where there really so many nasty people in Afghanistan? Were they all after only one thing from Rory--money--and were they all so ignorant? Apparently so, from the book, but I blame that more on the route he took than on the country overall. Rory walked a trail that most people would not have chosen. Would this trip had been any more interesting had he taken the "road less traveled?" To quote Robert Frost, the road Rory took in the end "made all the difference."

I think walking with Babur halfway through the journey definitely added some adventure to what could have been a rather boring trip. Pooy guy met such an unjust end, but I think that was also part of the bigger story behind the walk itself.

Rory knows his subject matter and makes a great diplomat.

Rory Stewart's walk across Afghanistan is a spectacular act of courage and a wish to know firsthand. I found it hard to read at times -- for example, when he develops what seemes to be a camaraderie with a man both sadistic and loyal, whose idea of fun is frightening young children. Rory Stewart does not overtly muse about this complex relationship though he describes it so well that presumably the reader wonders about it because Rory Stewart is also uncertain and perhaps uncomfortable with the dichotomy. At other times, he does express clear feelings -- for example, his sense of the superficiality and self-serving nature of those who "help" without first-hand knowledge of what those receiving this "help" actually need and want. There are riveting descriptions of scenes he witnesses or participates in and, as the book goes on, his writing becomes almost lyrical. There is the dog he walks with for part of his journey, Babur. And then there is the man himself. Rory Stewart never seems to pity himself, even when he very nearly succumbs to the cold and snow and being sick. Although he is sometimes in very dangerous situations with the people he meets, one senses by the time he gets near Kabul a weary impatience and doggedness that make him refuse to be bullied after all he has seen and lived through. I highly recommend this book.

When it comes to travel writing, you've either got it (I'm thinking Paul Theroux, Bruce Chatwin), or you don't. Rory Stewart comes real close to not having it; however, he redeems this narrative of retracing the route of Babur, an 8th Century conqueror, with some pretty precocious writing.
Stewart does his descriptions well; perhaps what is missing is the seasoning of experience.

Why he felt this great urge to walk through Afganistan, two months after the fall of the Taliban, and in the middle of winter, is never made clear to the reader (although he does say he's not good at explaining why he did this trek - not real convincingly either). He mixes his walkalogue with historical asides of the places he passes through - Afghanistan is depicted as a land of contrasts: attempts at comprehending the modern resistances of different tribal groups (Pashtun, Hazara, and Tajik) have to be seen in the light of ancient histories.

He passes through historic places of the Silk Road (the former villages of Jam and Chist-e-sharif); his knowledge of Dari and Persian is enough to enable him to converse with the various villagers. Along the way, he adopts a mastiff who accompanies him on half of this journey from Herat to Kabul. Some of his experiences are harrowing - one has to wonder about Stewart's brazen foolishness at these times.

This narrative is not a "flatout masterpiece", as the NY Times Book Review would have it. Although Stewart is good with the descriptions, like I've mentioned, the narration gets slushy at times (mirroring the terrain being slushed through I suppose). Babur's journals are overquoted to the point of making the narrative get slack; that could be another downer point here.

That Rory Stewart pushed his luck and tempted his fate, as youthful exuberance does, is really what lies between the lines of this book. He emerges from this ordeal to tell the tale - which comes off as a young man who has a couple of pretty close shaves with having his head cut off.
Four stars (barely) on this one.

The Cloud Reckoner

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

The story was somewhat interesting and gives the reader/listener a somewhat of a good idea about the culture in Afghanistan (at least along the route he traveled); however, his journey seemed kind of pointless, almost meaningless. What made the CD version less appealing was hearing Rory Stewart's winy C-3PO narration. I would read the book instead, but even then, it seemed pointless to me. I hate to knock Rory's account of his travels because I think he's a good guy. Having been to Afghanistan and other Third World nations, I can appreciate his tenacity and self-sacrifice to walk the same path as Babur, but at the end of the day, I really didn't care all that much. You might...

i was very unhappy with the amazon service last time. i received one book twice, from 2 different sources. since it was too complicated to return the second copy, i had to pay twice. i didn't even enjoy the book THE PLACES IN BETWEEN.
marianne phiebig

When I picked this book off the bookstore table, I really only had a vague idea that it was one man's story about traveling through Afghanistan. Beyond that, I didn't know what to expect.

The book tells the story of Rory Stewarts walk across Afghanistan, from Herat to Kabul, and some of the people, villages, and feelings he had along the way. He states he wanted to walk across Asia, and this part helped to complete this quest. He managed to do this shortly after the Taliban were defeated in 2002, which is a bit interesting.

I can't say that I was fascinated by this book, yet I can't say that I was disappointed, either. I am glad I read it. I've a few books about Afghanistan that were centered in Kabul, and it was interesting to find out more information regarding the rural parts of Afghanistan and to find out just how drastic the difference between the two are. We here in the US always hear about how difficult it is fighting a war in rural Afghanistan because of the geography and because of tribalism. This book really helped to bring an understanding of those concepts to me. In that, I found the book fascinating.

The book does seem to drag, however. And the villages do seem to be strikingly similar until they all seem to fade together. Chapter after chapter of villages one cannot find on a map filled with nothing but mud huts gets a bit tedious to read about. Yet, for me, anyway, when Mr. Stewart speaks to the historical parts of Afghanistan, I found it be very interesting. And when he spoke of the people he met along the way, I was fascinated. He did seem to dwell on those individual who were less than savory, though. It would have been refreshing to read more about people he'd met who had been nice, helpful, and thoughtful. I'm sure there must have more than just 3 or 4?

I did enjoy reading about the various customs within some of the different tribes. I thought that to be very interesting. Some of the items Mr. Steward writes about were amusing, some were shocking to my Western mindset, and some were just outright disturbing (the Afghan Islamic view on the treatment towards dogs was especially difficult for this dog lover!). In all it was an interersting book, but there were some flaws.

Kind of interesting to learn what life is currently like in rural Afghanistan. But I was expecting more of a "World's Most Dangerous Places" type of travelogue which this book isn't. Very meditative with interesting "smaller" observations.

If you are into a lot of facts about history and culture, then this might be the book for you. As for myself, I felt like I was reading college history and sociology textbooks. So many facts, with little or no human connection to Rory Stewart, or the people who accompany him on his trek across Afghanistan. Stewart writes early on in the book, "I feel like I have been preparing for this all my life". To me that is a powerful statement, which in my opinion Stewart never really expounded on, and in the end could have made this book a little more interesting.

Well written and exciting journey that a brave man wrote about. Very good reference to the differences between villiages and provinces encompassed by the overarching history of the country.

This book is a fascinating and easy read for anyone looking to learn about Afghanistan.

The audacity of what Rory Stewart does in this book is amazing. Walking from Herat to Kabul across central Afghanistan relying on the hospitality of the local in each village he passes through. It is not a comprehensive look at Afghanistan but a first hand micro level look at life in a select few Afghan villages. At the same time, he throws in larger historical and research perspectives. Like all books that I've read about the country, there is a pointient sadness to what these people have been through.

I recommend to anyone who has a burning desire to know what Afghanistan is really like... My husband was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005. He doesn't talk much about it so I started looking for a book to help me understand how the local people live, and if they really are as barbaric as the news and media leads on. This was it...

If you really want to understand something basic about Afghanistan, read this book. I have read columns by Rory Stewart in the NYT and thought he was a very clear thinker, so I bought this book. This man is an amazingly accute observer of his environment and brings a great deal of wisdom to bear on his subject.

But don't think this book will be chore to read! It is a real page turner.

One of the best books I have read in a year.

Read it!

I've read several books on Afghanistan and it truly sounds like the worst place on earth. The people are still living in the stone age and are for the most part illiterate, cultureless and cruel to animals and women alike. Sure, they're religious--fervently religious--but where has that gotten them other than fueling generations of hatred between themselves. When you walk across Afghanistan, like author Rory Stewart did after 9/11, you're really seeing the minutae of these local's lives, going from one hovel made of mud to the next, eating and sleeping with strange hosts, if they felt inclined to generosity. But each place Stewart goes to is pretty much just like the place he left and so the reader has a tedious journey while the author's is torturous. It just doesn't make for an interesting read. I'd rather he have taken a car, zoomed across everywhere he walked, and written a short article for a magazine.

I liked but did not love this book. It's an eyeopening look at Afghanistan and when you read it, you realize just how much you don't know about the country. I liked the whole story of Rory's dog and some of his close calls with disaster were well told. But what's missing is the real scope of his journey. Many of the places he goes and days he has run together and although it's a decent read, it's not a great one. If Jon Krakauer had written this book I think it would have been much more riveting as Rory Stewart never can reach that same level of excitement and immediacy.

After reading this you begin to understand why the travel literature describing Afghanistan is not quite as extensive as, say, the Loire Valley.

Instead of gourmet food ... no food. Instead of classic, striking scenery ... no scenery (I'm not kidding: look at the first photograph in the section of illustrations). Instead of folksy innkeepers and vintners ... a hostile population caught between their religious obligations of hospitality and their distaste for anyone outside their tribe.

So, when Stewart, gets misty eyed about his adventures - at the end of the book - I wasn't quite willing to suspend my disbelief and accept his emotion at face value.

This is the kind of journey undertaken by someone of a very contrarian frame of mind. Each time he is mocked - each time he is forewarned of danger around the next bend - each time someone suggests that he might be out of his mind - it just adds more fuel to his motivation.

I imagine he would have been willing to die to display his fortitude.

It's an adventure. No question about that.

But is it the stuff of great travel? To my mind, it is not: since there is no assurance that it could ever be replicated. It's something that someone did to prove himself to other people. So, I think we should give Rory Steward a brisk round of applause, and then talk about real travel - which is something that can be done by more than just 1 person.

and that is mostly of what this book consists. The author in his thirty-day walk from Herat to Kabul across mountainous central Afghanistan in the dead of winter encounters a village every twenty miles that is unrememberable because of its sameness. There is always a local chieftain, also pretty much indistinguishable, to whom everyone defers, who is lord over abysmal, backwards, and completely unsanitary living conditions, a major factor in the author's constant diarrhea.

The adventure itself untaken only a few weeks after the Taliban was deposed by the American onslaught in late 2001 was definitely an exercise in sheer audacity and luck. It doesn't seem possible that a Western, non-Muslim white-man could walk 600 miles without a map in completely foreign and harsh territory, mostly alone, while encountering severe winter weather, contending with debilitating dysentery, and having to constantly persuade and deceive suspicious, if not hostile, locals, even Taliban types, that he was not a threat and was deserving of the assistance of food and shelter.

The author is remarkably reticent in providing details of his background and motivation in undertaking this journey and several others in the region. There are some historical details injected into the narrative as he journeys through villages and regions. The route was chosen to be similar to one undertaken by a sixteenth century Afghan warlord. Unfortunately, disconnected historical tidbits hardly provide a coherent understanding of the history of the region.

This book was regarded by the NY Times as being in the top five nonfiction books of 2006. That is surprising. The book lacks context - virtually on page 1 the walk begins -and is so repetitious that it is a struggle to continue. The reader is left with a highly fragmented understanding of a very remote region of the world that is several centuries behind modern civilization. Probably the most compelling aspect of the book was the author acquiring a dog, a large mastiff, a few days into his journey with whom he fought the elements and warded off other village dogs. There may be enough content in the book to justify spending the time with it.

and that is mostly of what this book consists. The author in his thirty-day walk from Herat to Kabul across mountainous central Afghanistan in the dead of winter encounters a village every twenty miles that is unrememberable because of its sameness. There is always a local chieftain to whom everyone defers, who is lord over abysmal, backwards, and completely unsanitary living conditions, a major factor in the author's constant diarrhea.

The adventure itself untaken only a few weeks after the Taliban was deposed by the American onslaught in late 2001 was definitely an exercise in sheer audacity and luck. It doesn't seem possible that a Western, non-Muslim white-man could walk 600 miles without a map in completely foreign and harsh territory, mostly alone, while encountering severe winter weather, contending with debilitating dysentery, and having to constantly persuade and deceive suspicious, if not hostile, locals, even Taliban types, that he was not a threat and was deserving of the assistance of food and shelter.

The author is remarkably reticent in providing details of his background and motivation in undertaking this journey and several others in the region. There are some historical details given as he journeys through villages and regions. The route was chosen to be similar to one undertaken by a sixteenth century Afghan warlord. Unfortunately, disconnected historical tidbits hardly provide a coherent understanding of the history of the region.

This book was regarded by the NY Times as being in the top five nonfiction books of 2006. That is surprising. The book lacks context - virtually on page 1 the walk begins -and is so repetitious that it is a struggle to continue. The reader is left with a highly fragmented understanding of a very remote region of the world that is several centuries behind modern civilization. Probably the most compelling aspect of the book was the author acquiring a dog, a large mastiff, a few days into his journey with whom he fought the elements and warded off other village dogs. There may be enough content in the book to justify spending the time with it.

I wanted to read more about Afghanistan after reading a number of books about this country, so I picked up Rory Stewart's The Places In Between. This is an incredible tale about his journey, walking across Afghanistan from Herat to Kabul in 2002.

Afghanistan was not Stewart's first journey on foot. The amazing part of his trek is not that he traveled between these two cities, but that he did it through the mountains during the winter. In this respect, he was traveling in the footsteps of the Emperor Babur of Mughal India, from whose journals he liberally quotes. Stewart wanted to stay away from "roads. Journalists, aid workers and tourists." The sights that he saw were not much different from what Babur saw in the 1500s. The other reason Stewart chose to walk through Afghanistan is that he considered it the "missing section of my walk, the place in between the deserts and the Himalayas, between Persian, Hellenic, and Hindu culture, between Islam and Buddhism, between mystical and militant Islam. I wanted to see where these cultures merged into one another and touched the global world."

During Stewart's journey, he depended on the generosity of strangers to provide him with food and shelter. Most of them lived a very poor existence with homes made of mud bricks, with dirt floors and no electricity or running water. Many times, food was simply tea and bread. But throughout, Stewart heard their fascinating stories. Many of them fought the Russians, the Taliban, or each other. He was also able to discover how so many civilizations converged in this beautiful but desolate country along what were the Spice Road and the Silk Road.

Stewart took a drawing pad with him, and The Places In Between is filled with interesting drawings of the places he visited, the people he met and some of the objects he saw. It is also filled with photographs of his travels as well as maps of each leg of his journey. Many people thought that Rory Stewart was bold, brave, and/or downright crazy to make this trip. But for whatever reason, his readers are richer for his efforts.

Rory Stewart narrates this wonderfully varied and ever-fascinating look at the people and places of Afghanistan - literally from he ground up. Stewart is a young (not quite 30) historian and medievalist who ostensibly set out to walk the route of legendary Mongol leader Babur. Stewart's voice is that of a man who is by nature gentle, but his path takes him through some of the most rugged terrain on earth as well as among some of its most threatening (and threatened) inhabitants.

Post-Taliban Afghanistan is a country that has been turned upside down and then suddenly righted. Old customs (and by "old" we mean medieval) are here and there being supplanted by the new customs bought with US dollars and European aid. In some places, pre-Taliban customs, like dog fighting, are re-emerging. But as many parts of the country are inaccessible, even to its own countrymen, there are many pockets where the old feudal ways still hold sway. Stewart makes his way from village to village, banking on Muslim's famed hospitality to strangers to keep him fed and to keep him alive. In some places, the welcome is extravagant; in others, hospitality comes in the form of a single cup of tea wheedled out of suspicious villagers. But as Stewart says in the introduction, though he met with all kinds of bad and disreputable behavior, no one ever killed or try to kidnap him. In a place on the globe reputed for doing both with impunity, this is no small matter.

Along the way, we become more familiar with Afghanistan's regions, its dialects and its biases. Having explained to a man that he is a Christian, the man describes Stewart to another as "a Jew." When Stewart corrects him, the man is perplexed. "Is there a difference?" he wonders. We meet villages burned by the Taliban and those that harbor ex-Taliban fighters. We meet families that have been on the right side or the wrong side of many of the country's fights in the last 25 years - with the Soviets, al Qaeda, the Taliban, or the new American-backed regime. Though fiercely loyal to their faith, we learn how little some Muslims know about it. Though they may revere the Koran as holy, many have never read its Arabic verses. Stewart braves the ignorance of villagers and their hatred of infidels, admires the history and rugged beauty of the place and learns to threaten, bluster and drop names to secure safe passage for himself and a decrepit old dog foisted on him by some villagers.

"The Places in Between" is full of surprises and helps the reader understand what Afghanistan is like from the level of its chief unit: the village. Stewart marvels at the lengthy intricacies of Afghani greetings. He grieves the loss of Afghanistan's archeological patrimony; his description of the ravaging of the Turquoise Mountain historical site (for a few dollars American) is both heart-breaking and completely understandable. Of what use is an ancient pottery jar when one is barely surviving? The only criticism of the story is that the land's history, characters and names are so unfamiliarity that they sometimes run together in a meaningless swirl of sounds. But stir yourself from this reverie long enough to appreciate the complexity and utter foreignness of the culture that many Americans see as "enemy."

I really tried to like this book more. I really did. My wife gave it to me with a rave review of her own. On paper you cannot miss with an idea like this one -- a lone traveller walks across Afghanistan just months after the fall of the Taliban, exploring remote parts of the country that few westerners have ever seen. Stewart speaks the main languages of the region, so he can tell us first hand what happens.

Most of the book is in the form of short chapters which relate what happened on each of the days he walked. This is where the first problem starts -- most of the chapters are so brief (some of them barely more than three pages) that it gives the book a very choppy feel.

And then there is the challenge of the people he meets. What Stewart tries to show is that as he walks from one town to the next the nature of the country is constantly changing, in part because of the many different clans, tribes and tribes there are. The place feels like a collection of mutually suspicious enclaves rather than a country and is therefore very hard to govern properly. This, he says, is what the West should have paid more attention to before it started on its misguided attempt to build a modern nation from a motley collection of tribes with beliefs that would not have been out of place in the 14th century.

As Stewart drags the reader behind him from one dump to the next, you slowly come to the conclusion that many of the people he meets really aren't all that pleasant or interesting. Most of them are dirt poor and suspicious of outsiders. If it weren't for the local culture, which obliges villagers to take in itinerant guests, you'd imagine that a lot of these people would happily try to rob him or kill him (and some do take pot shots at him on the way). The one time he stumbles across an hidden historical jewel the locals are busily dismantling it to sell for a pittance at various markets.

After a while Stewart starts to feel a bit sorry for himself and this seeps into the text. We hear far too much about his dysentry and other ailments. He adopts a large dog for protection and soon has closer feelings for the animal than he does the Afghans he encounters on the way. The end result is a flat and remarkably dispiriting book.

Extremely well written. I loved it. A fairly quick read and the story never flattened out. Plus there are a few pictures added into the print! Definitely a wonderful travel story with quite a few surprises.

I enjoyed this book in part because of it's structure: a series of short essays about each part of this man's incredible walk. It's not long-winded or preachy, yet it clearly outlines the culture and the recent troubles in the region.

Well done.

It is difficult to comprehend Rory Stewart's walk across Afghanistan. He describes the cultural differences and isolation between the various tribes he encountered. He also coped with extremes of weather and temperture during his winter hike. The book is very readable and informative.

Rory Stewart is a cool customer. He plows through chest-deep snow, faces semi-psychotic, gun-toting goons, and is told outright "you will die." Although he may have actually yelled, cried, and prayed fervently during this Kafka-esque series of events, he reports on his historic trek with the aplomb of James Bond ordering a martini while dodging bullets.

Personally, I believe his surprising sangfroid in the face of danger is not exaggerated to impress the reader. Stewart also earns respect for his expert knowledge of early architecture. He rather obtrusively weaves the historic accounts of Babur's original travels through the text, but the canine, v. royal Babur portions of the narrative add color and interest to the tale.


It's unsettling to read a book in which an entire gender is missing, but despite traveling hundreds of miles through many villages, the women are sequestered.

I spent a fair amount of time mulling over the courage/stupidity equation (if he has a family, I can't imagine their worry), but am grateful that we have someone to witness and chronicle this important place and time with clarity, pragmatism, and ultimately, compassion. (Although it's at least a little ironic that we congratulate those of us who travel through these regions, never mind the people who are actually trying to survive there.)

Thanks to Stewart, we have a much richer view of a complicated land and diverse people. May he survive to tell more tales.

How is it possible for a young Scotsman to walk across war ravaged Afghanistan armed only with a walking stick and a toothless dog? The secret is in his voice. A product of Eton and Oxford, Rory Stewart has the deep confidence and sense of command that comes from an elite English education. It was old Etonians like Stewart who won the battle of Waterloo and went on to create the British Empire. Rory Stewart recorded the Audio CD version of his book. Listening to his voice makes his story all the more rich and understandable. Highly recommended.

Not your typical `road book'. Rory is an incredibly brave Scot with a real empathy for the people he meets on his travels. This beautifully written book left me in awe of the depth of character this man has - a modern day `Lawrence'. Bravo!

Synopsis: Rory Stewart, an ex-soldier and diplomat completed a walk across the Muslin world by crossing Afghanistan just after the U.S. supported ouster of the Taliban. He speaks the local languages and is steeped in their customs, so is able to relate the real world that exists away from the major cities in Afghanistan - a feudal world where women are never seen, hospitality is dictated by religion and the person who took pot shots at you in the afternoon will feed you in the evening. A rich book with the author's passion for the culture shining through. Nice dog angle for the pet lovers too :).

Not your typical `road book'. Rory is an incredibly brave Scot with a real empathy for the people he meets on his travels. This beautifully written book left me in awe of the depth of character this man has - a modern day `Lawrence'. Bravo!

Synopsis: Rory Stewart, an ex-soldier and diplomat completed a walk across the Muslin world by crossing Afghanistan just after the U.S. supported ouster of the Taliban. He speaks the local languages and is steeped in their customs, so is able to relate the real world that exists away from the major cities in Afghanistan - a feudal world where women are never seen, hospitality is dictated by religion and the person who took pot shots at you in the afternoon will feed you in the evening. A rich book with the author's passion for the culture shining through. Nice dog angle for the pet lovers too :).

I enjoyed this book very much,it an easy read explaining a great deal of the history of Afghanistan and the mentality of the people.I found the history a great help to understand the present war going on i.e. the Taliban way of thinking,it also gives an insight to the present day Iranians their religons and how the various tribes have conflicts with one another.
The auther's stamina and the way in which he spent time with the local people describing their way of life and atitude towards foreigners from far off places such as Scotland of which they had never heard.Rory Stewart also writes about the local architecture such as it was, and the poverty with which the people have to live.One can understand that the Afghans do not want to give up the growing of the Opium Poppies which they know, and seem to be able to sell how ever harmful it is in the world.This book is quite an education.

'The Places In Between' is the true story of a young man's journey on foot across the rugged Afghanistan landscape, an adventure that began just six weeks after the Taliban had been driven from power there by the allied offensive led by the US after 9/11. Or had they?

Rory Stewart, a Scotsman with a passion for people and a unique knowledge of Muslim customs and Persian languages, takes you along on the last leg of his trek across the Middle East, along paths taken by Babur, the first emperor of Mughal India, in the 15th century. His attention to custom, place and texture automatically transports you into the villages that he visited along his way. You learn of the hospitality and the values of the Afghans. You also feel Stewart's awareness of the dangers, his fatigue and his sense of purpose. It's a story that keeps your anticipation for the next challenge and the next success on edge... right up until his poignant epilogue.

While each page is fascinating, one passage remains foremost in my mind. At a point when Stewart, a diplomat and an historian, was talking with a group of Hazara village elders about Afghani politics, he recalled how some policy makers in Kabul perceived these people, "Villagers are not interested in human rights. They are like poor people all over the world. All they think about is where their next meal is coming from."

What he was seeing was that these peasant farmers had a better idea than most about where their next meal was coming from. They defined themselves chiefly as Muslims and Hazaras, not hungry Afghans. And without the time and imagination needed to understand their diverse experiences, policy makers would find it impossible to change Afghan society in the way they wished to. Tribal traditions of honor and issues of ethnicity were still not understood in Kabul and were consequently being ignored again.

In today's turbulent times, that sobering thought is one that more people should be made to recognize, as Afghanistan begins to move to the center of the world stage once more.

Bob Magnant is the author of 'The Last Transition...' the ultimate Internet adventure - a fact-based novel about Iran and terrorism.

My book club read this book. I think we were all hoping to read more personal interest stories about the people in Afghanistan. What you get is a LOT of history on the rural villages of this country. At times it is very difficult to follow. The names alone are enough to set your head spinning.

The idea of walking across a war torn country is a dangerous one and at times Mr. Stewart seems to be a bit of an egomaniac. What's the point? He's not delivering needed medical supplies or food. He's not working for any peace keeping group. Instead he's just hell bent on walking in order to say he did it. Most of the time, local villagers had to (because of their custom)walk him to the next point. A potentially dangerous endeavor in many areas.

If you like in depth history... this may be the book for you. We were dissapointed.

As a fanatic of travel narratives, I loved this book, and would recommend it highly. For those who felt the same way - I urge you to read A Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival by George Kennan, which follows an expedition through Siberia in the 1860s.

When I first heard of this book I thought that walking across Afghanistan was one of the most dangerous ways of travel I could think of. After reading the book, I discovered I was entirely correct.

Due to the author's bravery/stupidity an amazing book appears. I found his writing to be rich, descriptive, but balanced. The people of Afghanistan are not irrational Islamic terrorists, but neither are they a helpful, friendly, and trustworthy bunch, who always look out for the needs of a stranger.

While the author meets his share of noble people, he also runs into thieves, liars, and thugs. He includes enough historical context to make the story relevant while still keeping the book a travel work at its core. The author is a talented observer with a gift for clear, but engaging prose. I am glad he wrote this book, since I felt as if I made the journey, without every having to walk an inch into Afghanistan

With personal sacrifice, charm and economy, Mr.Stewart has achieved a rare and timely accomplishment - a literary bridge, spanning East to West, built on a foundation of trust and the respect of others.

Where should one begin? ... I guess by first by trying to understanding Rory Stewart. After reading Mr. Stewart's book (which received glowing reviews from the NYTimes) one can walk away with the conclusion that he is an arrogant, obnoxious, self-centered individual. It seems the world, including Afghanistan, should revolve around Rory Stewart.

Journalist? Hmmm ... let's see, Mr. Stewart makes the decision to spend a month walking across Afghanistan visiting remote villages that have experienced decades of torture, death to their loved ones, destruction of their homes and defamation of their sacred Koran. Mr. Stewart strolls into these villages with an air of superiority and because of a piece of knowledge he retains of the Islamic faith and uses like a mantra, that all Muslims should look to strangers as if they were a gift from God, and offer them a high position in their home, feed them (even through there isn't enough food for their children), and offer them a place for rest. What's surprising is that all the villages he encounters do offer him all they have which, because of the immense poverty, it's usually bread, sweet tea and a space on the floor to sleep for the night. Most times Mr. Stewart scuffs at these offerings and looks forward to sunrise so he can leave these people to be alone with his favorite person, himself. For his safety he is usually given escorts to the next village, but he doesn't seem to care that he is putting these people in immense danger, and he never seems to wonder if his escorts make it back to their village alive. Oh, did I mention that this is all in the dead of winter, in the mountains, and in the middle of snowstorms.

This book was chosen for our book club in hopes to learn more about Afghanistan and the Afgan people... it was unanimous Mr. Stewarts walk was a waste of time. He did, however inspire the following passage about a "Walk" from New York City to Sunday Night's book club in Hoboken. I hope whoever reads this learns as much about NYC, it's people, and their culture as our book club learned through Mr. Stewart's "Walk" about Afghanistan, it's people and their culture. Sadly, what we leaned was nothing, and it seems as though Mr. Stewart learned the same.

The following is the book club chain of emails in regard to Rory Stewart's "The Places In Between":
Hi Everyone,
I hope I have everyone on the e-mail list - if I don't, please forward this to anyone I missed! I'm looking forward to seeing you at my place this Sunday, Feb. 11th at 5:30 (instead of 5PM) to discuss the WALK. Please let me know if you'll be coming.
-Lauren

Hi Everyone,
I'll be there, but I decided I will walk to Hoboken ... and there better be plenty of bread for me waiting! (I promise to bath before my journey!)
-Linda

Linda, I believe that would be "nan" :0) Peace be with you. See you Sunday.
-Karenne

Linda, make sure that you leave by 8am - and wear your burqa,
it's cold out there! I'll be driving Linda's car and will see
everyone at 5:30.
-Kate

Think you could give me a ride in Linda's car? That way we could
moon Linda while we drive by her walking, burqa-clad self!
-Amy

ooooh, I'd be willing to ride in the trunk!
-chrissy

Don't' forget to pick me up if you are swinging by
AstoriaBad......there are some interesting Greek Sunni's in my hood.
- Lorraine

Hi Everyone, I started my journey early this morning ... So I would get used to sleeping in unseemly places, I slept in the bathtub last night, I also decided to take one of Bob's cats with me for fear that I might be attacked by pigeons... So far I'm finding NY'ers not so friendly (as they claim to be in those "I love NY" commercials)... when I first started out this morning at 5am I headed down Columbus where I came across some joggers... I asked who was in charge of this town and they proceeded to throw stones at me! I continued on... I went into a Starbucks, but the young woman who was sweeping the floor said they were not open... I asked if I could just sit inside to warm my feet but she said "no"... I continued on...
At 7am, I walked into a coffee shop, the man at the counter looked at me with a nasty stare... I asked if it would be all right if I took my socks off so that I could dry them (my socks go wet from sleeping in the bathtub), and he said "no, go away"... I continued on.... Around 8am I met a blind man who's dog attacked Bob's cat.... I hit his dog with my shaft and knocked him out... the blind man crossed the road without his dog and got hit by a bus... I ran away from the scene.... I'm being kicked off this computer right now ... because the guy at the Internet cafe says I stink and have to leave... I will write again as soon as I can! Wish me luck ... hopefully I will make it to book club alive! xo
-Linda

Linda
YES i have many meaningless greetings and salutations for you when you arrive. i will make sure to kiss you at least 5 times on both cheeks and give you tea.
Chrissy


It is now 5pm and I haven't eaten all day... neither has Bob's cat! I am just crossing West 72nd Street and fear that I will be losing light soon... I need a place to sleep and hopefully something to eat... oh yeah I forgot, I need to go to the bathroom (number two!).... I came across an old woman (carrying a Zabar's bag), and asked her if I could sleep on her floor tonight and if she could spare some food for me and my cat! She said "no"... I continued on....I might have to go home and start the Journey again tomorrow... if I do, I promise to sleep in the bathtub again! xo
Linda

Linda -
you are wasted in your current job.
-Lorraine

I'LL SAY LORRAINE! - especially if Rory is considered successful (oops, I'm showing my hand...I'll save it for bookclub)
-Kate

I too will be walking, but my starting point will not be as challenging as Linda's. The only obstacle in my path to Ho-boh-ken will be a river. But I will ask: "what poems of Babur will inspire me to go forward?" Lauren: I will show you such appreciation for your great hospitality.
-Annah

It is 9pm and I made it back home... Bob greeted me at the door took his cat and said, "You stink, come back when you smell better" he then slammed the door in my face... I immediately went to Amy's home and buzzed her apartment ... she did not answer me... I then walked up to 111th street and buzzed Kate at her apartment ... she did not answer me... I left and asked an old man if I could sleep on his floor for the night and he said, "no ... you stink!" .... I know it's been a day since I have had a bath, but it must be my poop in my pants that's turning everyone off! I think I will sleep in the park if the squirrels will have me... I'm soooo cold!
-Linda

Linda mate. Come over to Astoria. I won't shut the door in your face. I will gently point you in the direction of the shower. I have already sprayed the house with disinfectant as a precaution.
-Lorraine

Lorraine.... my savior.... I'll start walking!
-Linda

Unfortunately, we don't have the same friends at the New York Times that Rory Stewart obviously has, so we probably won't get the same glowing review as he did... If anyone from the Times is reading this, you desperately need to screen your reviewers! By the way if you just finished reading the "NYC Walk", you just got an indication of what to expect from Mr. Stewart's book. Have Fun!

In walking across Afghanistan just after the fall of the Taliban (and in the winter) Rory Stewart definitely "took chances" and risked his life to complete this walking journey. But in writing his account, the author has missed the opportunity to explain the reasons "why". In the telling it merely presents an assembly of facts (villages, unpronouncable names of people)clearly constituting a major stylistic shortcoming. "The Places in Between" falls short. It is merely a well organized travel diary where it should have been a well presented travel adventure. Even if you do read the book..... all is not lost. The author presents some insight into the centuries old inter rivalries amongst different villages, different cultures, different regions and disparate religious sects. In some useful way the book can serve as a tiny expose' of the taut knot in that region which may inevitably never be "untied" by our country's intervention.

Travelling in rough countries like Afghanistan is to a traveller like to be an astronaut is for a kid, the thing is you're in your thirties or close. You have pretty much no idea of what is going to happen, when or why you chose such a destination. But if you're a traveller these indefinitions will exactly be the main reason for you to go: "I will go and answer for myself".
Compared to Colombus, Babur, Vasco da Gama, Marco Polo we (travel lovers) are simply afortunate persons that have the bless to be able to travel and/or enjoy travel literature.
The author Rory Stewart goes for a country whose images I saw came more from imageguided missils than from 8mm cameras, by the time they were actually being filmed.
Dealing with phisical hunger and several diseases he does a magnificient walk through a pre-civilized country side.
If thought I was a traveller and had "some stories" after this book I felt ridiculous...
Hail Rory

The Places in Between by Rory Stewart was given to me for Christmas because it was listed as one of the NY Times top 10 books for 2006. I think maybe it was listed as such because of cronyism. Rory Stewart has written for the NY Times magazine.
Rory Stewart "walked every step of the way" across Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan for 20 months beginning in 2000. He's not sure why he did all this " maybe because it was an adventure". It was most definitely a book, albeit a not very good one. His main motif was interposing excerpts from the diary of Babur, the 15th century Indian Mughul dynasty emperor, who did the same thing before he became emperor. Maybe Rory Stewart wants to become an emperor. At least he's a wannabe Babur. Here's what he says about the original:
"He (Babur) tells this adventure story with impressive modesty. What he did was very dangerous but he never draws attention to this. INSTEAD HE FOCUSES ON THE PEOPLE HE MEETS AND USES PORTRAITS OF INDIVIDUALS TO SUGGEST A WHOLE SOCIETY. He pays more attention to his contemporary world than to legends or ancient history and he is a careful observer.... He does not embroider anecdotes to make them neater, funnier, more personal or more symbolic. Unlike most travel writers he is honest...At times it seems like the only thing missing from the story is himself. HE NEVER EXPLAINS WHAT DRIVES HIM TO LIVE THIS EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND TAKE THESE KINDS OF RISKS. HE DOES NOT DESCRIBE HIS EMOTIONS AND AS A RESULT CAN SEEM DISTANT AND THE EPISODES OF HIS LIFE REPETITIVE. Confronted by dead bodies or people trying to kill him, he writes in increasingly dispassionate and impersonal prose. But his restraint only emphasizes the extraordinary nature of his experiences."
I capitalized the sentences that ring true about Rory. He doesn't describe his emotions but he does make sure to repeatedly tell us how sick he is most of the journey. He sees the landscape as exceedingly bleak and the majority of the people as suspicious or hostile or at least don't live up to their reputation as gracious hosts. There is a cultural expectation that one always has room and a meal for a stranger. That's probably h