It's bright in here
I recently finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's follow-up to his wildly successful novel The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on the women of Afghanistan and their experiences in a war-ravaged Muslim society.
I really enjoyed this book as well, though it was difficult to read sometimes. There are two primary characters in the book: Miriam and Laila. Miriam is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman. When her mother commits suicide, her father marries her off hastily in order to avoid his shame. Mariam is married to Rasheed, an abusive older man who punishes her when she can't give him a child. Meanwhile, Laila, a younger woman, discovers that she is unwed and pregnant just as her parents are killed in a bombing. In the interest of self-preservation, she becomes Rasheed's second wife. The two women go on to develop a friendship and an enduring love that, in many ways, saves them both.
As difficult as life was for the male characters in The Kite Runner, it is infinitely more difficult for the female characters in this novel. Muslim society can be cruel to its women, who are expected to remain obediant and subservient to their husbands, regardless of the treatment they receive. My heart ached for the characters, for the pain and indignity they suffered, and for the society that enabled such injustice to be carried out.
Hosseini's writing is a tad more flowery in this novel than in the first, but not overly so. And because this novel is set against the backdrop of very current events, it feels more topical.
Hosseini is accepting questions about his two novels this month via his Web site at http://www.khaledhosseini.com/. If you email in your questions about the book(s), he may answer it via a video feed on the site. I thought that was a clever way to communicate directly with his readers, especially since his books seem to be on the fast-track to becomeing book club staples.
I thought this was an excellent second novel. Hosseini used what he already knew (and what he already knew his readers were interested in), but gave us a fresh take on it by examining it through a different lens and a more current time. I thought this was a great way of "giving people what they want" while still growing as a writer/exploring new territory for him.
I really enjoyed this book as well, though it was difficult to read sometimes. There are two primary characters in the book: Miriam and Laila. Miriam is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman. When her mother commits suicide, her father marries her off hastily in order to avoid his shame. Mariam is married to Rasheed, an abusive older man who punishes her when she can't give him a child. Meanwhile, Laila, a younger woman, discovers that she is unwed and pregnant just as her parents are killed in a bombing. In the interest of self-preservation, she becomes Rasheed's second wife. The two women go on to develop a friendship and an enduring love that, in many ways, saves them both.
As difficult as life was for the male characters in The Kite Runner, it is infinitely more difficult for the female characters in this novel. Muslim society can be cruel to its women, who are expected to remain obediant and subservient to their husbands, regardless of the treatment they receive. My heart ached for the characters, for the pain and indignity they suffered, and for the society that enabled such injustice to be carried out.
Hosseini's writing is a tad more flowery in this novel than in the first, but not overly so. And because this novel is set against the backdrop of very current events, it feels more topical.
Hosseini is accepting questions about his two novels this month via his Web site at http://www.khaledhosseini.com/. If you email in your questions about the book(s), he may answer it via a video feed on the site. I thought that was a clever way to communicate directly with his readers, especially since his books seem to be on the fast-track to becomeing book club staples.
I thought this was an excellent second novel. Hosseini used what he already knew (and what he already knew his readers were interested in), but gave us a fresh take on it by examining it through a different lens and a more current time. I thought this was a great way of "giving people what they want" while still growing as a writer/exploring new territory for him.
Comments
I read The Kite Runner and was blown away.
[sigh]
I didn't like the Kite Runner either. People rave about that book, but i just had no patience for the main character. He was a coward, and I abhor cowardice. There was some redemption at the end, but it didn't make up for his actions before, IMO.