Abdullah and his sister Pari are inseparable. The two share a very close bond after losing their mother at a young age. Their father takes them on a journey in to a larger Afghan town where they meet up with their uncle who works for a rich husband and wife. Pari is handed over to this couple, and Abdullah never sees his sister again. This book tells us the story of various people who have a degree or two of separation from Abdullah and Pari.
The book starts off riveting. We learn about Pari being sold to this couple, and how his uncle's life plays out. Then the stories get further and further away from Abdullah and Pari until at the end, they eventually make their way back. The start and ending were great, the rest felt like filler and got to the point where I was struggling to figure out who the characters were and how they were connected.
Unfortunately I think this is the weakest of Hosseini's books. But I haven't given up on him because of how much I liked the others. If/when he puts out another book I'll read it.
First Line: "So, then."
Rating:
(3/5)
Hosseini definitely is a brilliant moving writer. A Thousand Splendid Suns relates the story of 2 Afghan women. Mariam is a bastard whose father gets rid of her in marriage to Rasheed. Mariam continually has miscarriages and consequently suffers increasingly violent abuse. Laila, a generation younger, is educated and comes from a liberal family. She is in love with Tariq, a neighbourhood boy. Rasheed ends up marrying Laila through deceit and the killing of Laila's parents.