X-Book

The Watch

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

'The first great novel of the war in Afghanistan' Wall Street Journal

You’ve had no sleep since the firefight last night.

The morning fog beyond the walls of your base lifts to reveal a lone woman approaching the gate.

She says she has come to claim the body of her brother killed in last night’s attack.

Is she a terrorist? A spy? A lunatic?

Or what she says she is – a grieving sister?

What should you do?

What do you do?



Shortlisted for the Criticos Prize and the Boeke Prize and longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the DSC Asian Literature Prize. One of Publishers Weekly's Ten best contemporary war novels.

Critics Review

Classical ideas of human dignity and honour are juxtaposed with the squalor of modern war in this important novel... A beautiful and heartfelt lamentation
Irish Times
His lyrical prose captures superbly the brutal realities of combat
Sunday Times
Scorching, tightly wired... It's a reminder that blood fueds are as old as humanity itself
Metro
Written with restrained power
The Times
The first great novel of the war in Afghanistan
Wall Street Journal
We watch as the resistance of an isolated American garrison in Afghanistan is ground down, not by force of arms but by the will of a single unarmed woman, holding inflexibly to an idea of what is just and right.
JM Coetzee
An important book for our times, in which one woman's determination and refusal to consent set an example of courage and honesty.
Giles Foden
The Watch is a powerful tale, courageous both in concept and creation: an ancient tale made modern, passed through different narrators in extraordinary shape-shifting prose that makes this not just an important novel, but a remarkable read.
Aminatta Forna
A poignant and important book about one of the defining events of the start of the 21st century; it is devastatingly eloquent and unequivocal about the fact that there is no glory or beauty in war.
Fatima Bhutto
A tense, edgy, gripping, important work.
Neel Muckherjee
Author Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
Narrator Dustin Rubin, George Newbern, Kaleo Griffith, Kris Koscheski, Reha Zamani, Richard Allen, Zadran Wali
Duration 10 hours and 11 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781473512658
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life, Narrative theme: Sense of place, War, combat and military adventure fiction
Availability GB, IE

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.