What We're Reading:

Current Picks from

the Watermark Staff

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, ISBN 9781594489501,
$25.95)

Set against the tumultuous events of the past 30 years in Afghanistan, Khaled
Hosseini's highly anticipated new novel will captivate readers of his much loved
first book, "The Kite Runner."  

Titled "A Thousand Splendid Suns," this is the tale of two Afghan women
separated in age by 22 years. Both become wives of a violent and destructive man who is much their elder.   

Isolated and controlled, the women begin as rivals, one is the older cast aside
matronly first wife while the younger one is the object of affection, but their
dire and dangerous living conditions give them reason to bond and even discover
a love for each other. 

As the Taliban gains control of Kabul & Afghanistan, so, too, does their husband
gain control of his wives and the household. The grief, violence, and fear of
the country parallel the struggle for intimacy, desire, and hope, in the home.
The women's goodness and their love for each other give them the strength to
regain control as the Taliban is removed from power.
A companion of sorts, to "The Kite Runner," "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is
destined to be the most talked about book of the summer. 

Review by Sarah Bagby, May 31, 2007

Listen to Sarah's Audio Review on KMUW
 

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