Set in Afghanistan during the past 30 years, Mariam and Laila story is told against the turbulent times of war from the Soviets to the Taliban. The plight of these and other Afghan women is sad. They depend totally upon the men of the family, their fathers, brothers and husbands for their very lives. Mariam is illegitimate daughter of a businessman who is forced into marriage at 15 to a much older man, Rasheed--a man who couldn't find a wife in his town and the why is revealed in detail--brutality that is hard to read. The story turns to Laila, the daughter of a teacher, raised by progressive parents at the time of Soviet rule. She fals in love with neighbor Tariq. It is a good time for women...education, modern medical care, freedom of movement. With the Taliban, the bombing escalates. Women's roles revert to very controlled old ways. Tariq and his parents flee the war; her parents wait too late and are killed. Laila marries neighbor, Rasheed, for protection. At first Mariam is cold and distant to Laila. Gradually a love builds between the two women. This love becomes the central point of the story. Rasheed's temper, bullisness, brutality force the two to try to escape but the plot is foiled. Laila gets a respite when she delivers a son--a son who rules the roost. Hosseini interweaves the history and culture of Afghanistan with the story of these women.
Appeal factors: Bleak, haunting--not an easy story to read and images that will remain, intricately plotted, strong sense of place, disturbing, sobering.
Continents Books: Asia
Award Winner
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