the end game

the final chapter in Britain’s Great Game in Afghanistan AN AUTHORITATIVE BUT AT TIMES UNFOCUSED ACCOUNT OF BRITAIN’S INVOLVEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN

Author: Susan Loughhead Publisher: Amberley Price: £9.99

A book on Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan is sure to attract interest at the moment, and author Susan Loughhead has excellent credentials to write one, having served in the British Embassy in Kabul from 2010 to 2013. There is a fascinating twist to her story as well, because her grandfather served in the same embassy more than half a century ago, and his letters home offer a valuable insight into the situation in the country following World War II.

Loughhead knows her subject intimately, but this brings its own problems to the book. There is so much information at the author’s fingertips that at times it feels like the reader is being given everything, when a more focused delivery would have been helpful. This extends to the use of a fairly small print size and tightly packed text.

The writing is good and is crammed with historical detail. Especially interesting is the dynamic between the United States and the

UK in the post-war world (a theme picked up in another book reviewed this month, The World After The War). However, digressions into more general history from the time period under consideration tend to slow the pace of the book, and sometimes you feel like you are reading more of a general history of the region than a tightly focused investigation.

For those interested in the subject, there is huge value in this book, but its density means that it is unlikely to hold the attention of a casual reader.