This is a stunning coming-of-age novel and a portrait of contemporary Afghanistan like no other, blending grit and immediacy with myth-making. It is 2005 in Logar, Afghanistan, and 12-year-old Marwand has returned from America for the summer. He loses the tip of his finger to Budabash, the family dog, who escapes. Marwand's quest to find him over ninety-nine nights begins. Laconic and playful.