Am reading this book and have nearly completed it with a last few pages to go. Loved his first book "The Kite Runner" and remember having read half of the book in a flight to Mumbai. I had loved that book and did have a lot of expectations from his new book. He certainly lives up to the expectations.
The story is again set in Afghanistan and at the back drop of the continued insurgency and the life of two women amidst it all. Sad from the beginning and makes one wonder what we continue to complain about with so much liberty when in some parts of the world even walking outside your house is a threat. The story moves seamlessly and in less than 10 minutes engrossed me completely and it feels like their life is running parallel to mine and I am actually a witness to all the atrocity and pain. It is amazing the way he brings out the nuances in a character with very few words.
"There, the future did not matter. And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion."
There is chaos around the country and safety is only a memory but life begins to get normal and panic eases in time since there are battles at every step and its surprising to witness how one gets accustomed to the struggle. One fails to imagine a life in harmony when engrossed in the pages and the only thing that comes to my mind each time I drop the book aside is that we are so blessed and more so the women who are empowered in many parts of the world to do whatever they choose to. I dare say there is equity in any part of the world between genders but the divide is getting narrower in these parts and to imagine a life where women are subjected to treatment that is worse than an inanimate object is painful.
I think one must read this book to let go off some of their prejudices since it certainly makes one feel so small for so many things we say and do to prove our authority and sense of pride to the people we love.
1 comment:
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed 'The Kite Runner' It is so unputdownable (if there is a word like this) Whilst travelling, cooking etc., I have found myself thinking about the two women and how tough their life is - and like Sukesh says it makes me value my freedom and education and the simple pleasures of life like walking down a street when i feel like it.
There is so much that I learnt from this book, like the resilence of the spirit, the ability of a person to go thru physical pain and emotional battering and the extent that a person can go to, to protect what they love the most.
highly recommended.....
Cheers !!
Ramona
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