Monday, January 10, 2011

Book Review - "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
My grade: A

For those of you familiar with Hosseini's previous work, "The Kite Runner", I am happy to report that this novel complements the first. If the former is a view of Afghanistan through a man's eyes, the latter is a similar story in a similar time, told by two women, whose fates intertwine. It is not so much political as it is humanistic; not so much intelligent as it is real. It's incredibly sad and moving, so much more so because it describes an atrocious world - one that exists today. It brings to light particularly the struggles women in Afghanistan faced in recent history, up to the present day. It is a work of fiction, but I'm sure, sadly, that it tells the story of many women. Hosseini poignantly accomplishes his aims: to portray war, barbarity and (racial/gender-based) inequality so commonplace in his home country, and to evoke compassion and understanding for a culture/religion knee-deep in human atrocities.

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