A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini

I read Kite Runner over Thanksgiving break. I actually don't read that much mainstream fiction. My taste tends to run towards science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. It's not a conscious choice, I just find it easier to pick up and get into genre fic. However, Kite Runner made a big enough splash on the social consciousness that I eventually got around to reading it. It was fantastic. I didn't really know much about the story or what to suspect other than that it had to do with current events. It was worth the read. However this post isn't really about Kite Runner.

When I find a book I like, I usually try to pick up whatever else the author has written. Hosseini thus far has written two other books A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed. I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns. If anything, it's even better than Kite Runner.

A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the intertwined lives of two women: Miriam and Laila. Both have tragic lives in a normal sort of way but it's compounded by living in Afghanistan. Hosseini does a good job of illustrating the complex issues troubling the Afghan region using the lives of ordinary people. I spent about a quarter of the book crying my head off; the characters felt that real.

I'm looking forward to And the Mountains Echoed.