Winner of the Best Read of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2008.
Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 9 January 2008.
If you like The Kite Runner you will love this second novel from Hosseini. This story follows the lives of two women in Afghanistan who are a generation apart and have had led quite different lives but by a twist of fate end up married to the same man. This is a novel about friendship and strength of character and is a compelling read.
Text in Arabic. Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. The sense of longing evoked in Khaled Hosseinis novel is compelling and universal: the passionate search for love, family, home, acceptance, a healthy society, and a promising future, regardless of the obstacles. This novel transcends boundaries and illuminates the people and culture of a region that has been reluctantly thrust into the international spotlight.
