I just finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" written by Khaled Hosseini who also wrote Kite Runner which I really liked as well. The review of the book is below, I won't even attempt to summarize it for you. I could not put the book down and read it in less than 24 hours. (Thanks, Disney for watching my kids for me!) All the news stories of a war torn Afghanistan are made real through the characters of this book. Although it can be a brutal and uncomfortable read at times it is riveting to be exposed to a whole other world, religion and culture. I was reminded of the strength of the human spirit, the power to love and that my "tough days" are nothing in comparison to others. Along the same lines is "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali that I read for a book club earlier this year which was very eye opening for me as well. Anyone got anymore good book suggestions?
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Afghan-American novelist Hosseini follows up his bestselling The Kite Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal as she fails to produce a child. Eighteen later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl whose only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation. Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed, whose violent misogyny—"There was no cursing, no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten"—is endorsed by custom and law. Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters. (May)
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Print | posted on Monday, February 25, 2008 9:27 PM