In 1969, the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened its doors: a glistening white box, high on a hill, that reflected Afghans’ hopes of a modern, democratic future.
 
In the decades since, its staff have endured two coups, a Soviet occupation, the US invasion, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban.

The Inter-Con has never closed its doors. Here, Lyse Doucet offers a vividly human history of modern Afghanistan through the lives of the people who have passed through its battered halls. It is the story of a hotel, and the story of a people.

Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards
Shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize
Shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize
Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
 
‘Haunting, hopeful and occasionally harrowing . . . much more than a history. It is a love letter to Afghanistan and its people.’
Sunday Times
 
‘Full of warmth, wit, and a lovely eye for the human stories that make the hotel not just a monument to tragedy, but also love and resilience.’
Financial Times
 
‘Beautifully written and observed . . . One of the finest journalists of her generation.’ Observer
 
‘Wonderfully human . . . A masterly evocation of a supremely complex decade in Afghanistan’s history.’
Daily Telegraph
 
‘A monument to Afghan resilience and to the bravery and persistence of its staff . . . Witty, observant and sometimes heartbreaking.’
Guardian