A Thousand Splendid Suns...

'In case you are wondering whether A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as the Kite Runner, here is the answer: No. It is better! - The Washington Post.

How true. Pakdokter read the Kite Runner some years ago and felt that it was one of the best books ever read by pakdokter. When Zaid Ibrahim put up the movie version for a charity premier screening to raise funds for the 'Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan' which he founded, pakdokter found the movie to be pale in comparison to the book. Read the book for the best effects of the story.....

This second novel by Khaled Hosseini would also be a good material for a film.

The book tells the story of a relationship between 2 women who shared the same husband over 20 years or so in the background of the evolution of the political processes taking place in Afghanistan - starting from the time of a united Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation through the period of tribal conflicts culminating in the domination of the Taliban who was finally sacked by the Americans after the 9/11 tragedy.

The sufferings and hardships endured by the two women were depressing, to say the least. And the lawlessness of tribal and civil strife put a chill down pakdokter's spine.

Pakdokter read the book over 10 days during pakdokter's daily train ride to the office. A fellow train-rider who saw pakdokter reading the book commented to pakdokter that he could not finish the book because he found it 'too depressing'. Two chinese girls who stood next to pakdokter one day were over-heard making some comments about the book. To them the book touched their hearts from the sufferings of the two women. To pakdokter, the book raised the fear of what it would be like if we were to allow our society to degenerate into tribal and civil strife where everyone takes the law into his own hands and interpret it as he wishes....

Khaled Hosseini came from a middle class family in Afghanistan. His father was a diplomat and his mother was a university educated high-school teacher. When Afghanistan was occupied by the Soviets, the family emigrated to the US where his father became a driving school instructor. Khaled Hosseini studied to become a doctor and writes in his spare time.