I wrote this a few years ago when 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' first came out. If you haven't read his second novel yet you MUST.
Khaled Hosseini, author of 'The Kite Runner', has written a second amazing novel. It may seem unimaginable that this book could be as strong as 'The Kite Runner,' but be ready to be surprised; this novel is so beautiful and perfectly told. 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' may even outshine her famous older brother.
'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is set in Afghanistan and tells the country's tale of devastation through war, and the compelling survival of its people through not just one invasion, but three. The story opens with an Afghanistan full of culture and a sense of self a country that appears to have a balance of old and new, culture and religion. This all changes when Russia invades. The people of Afghanistan are forced to relearn their way of life literally overnight. These changes don't all appear negatively; women are encouraged to be equal to their male counterparts and are allowed to go to school, and to hold jobs in all fields. Then the Taliban overthrow their occupiers, it's a story that we all think we know, but can't on an intimate level. All the liberties and freedoms that were known under the Russian occupiers are stripped away, and everyone is fearful for their lives. One misstep, one look astray and you may disappear. None are more affected than the women of Afghanistan who must give up their veils for one ruler, then are forced to cover their entire body by another, un-allowed to leave the house alone, or even receive medical treatment. It is here, with the women of Afghanistan that this story shines.
Two women, born a generation apart, who have known two entirely different Afghanistans, one a girl raised in the rural country-side by her mother during a time of relative peace and freedom. The other, born in Kabul on the night of the Communist invasion, knowing nothing but a life filled with war. These two unlikely companions are brought together by the appalling circumstances of war; they must face the loss of freedom, the trials of war, an arduous husband, and the regulations of the Taliban together.
In a life where one must learn to mould oneself to society's changing standards, and be subservient to the very people who have usurped your life, we learn that in exchange for love, no price is too high. We also find that real family and personal identity can be very fluid ideas. But above all that some things are too precious to lose. This is an astonishing tale of love and the survival of Afghanistan itself, mirrored beautifully and tragically in the lives of its women. Hosseini alone can weave a sympathetic and heroic tale of injustice in such a masterful way. This is a great story, from the storyteller who has opened the hearts of the west to the suffering of Afghanistan.
