Friday, April 17, 2009

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini


Until this year in Germany, I was one of those people who had never read Hosseini. To be honest, I just assumed that his extreme popularity probably meant that he wasn't all I expect in an author. And there are points in both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns that I notice the writing, which to me means that no, it's not perfect. But it's pretty damn close. I would love to see Hosseini write a book that's not set in his native Afghanistan, but so far, he's got something that works. In many ways, I think this book was better than his first. He writes his two main female characters with an understanding and insight that I believe most male authors lack -- which I believe is why they so often shy away from female protagonists. But Hosseini pulls off the wonder, and this book has a plot very much worth reading, to boot.

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