Other Middle Eastern novels: Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns

Speaking of historical novels, you have not read Kite Runner AND A Thousand Splendid Suns, you should.  Both of these novels are by Khaled Hosseini, and are set in Afghanistan.

Kite Runner is the more popular of the two novels, probably because it was turned into a movie (and a beautiful play by Actors Theatre!).  It focuses on the life of a young boy, Amir, who lives in Afghanistan, then moves to America when the his country is invaded by the Russians.  Amir is not a lovable protagonist - honestly, many people don't like him at all.  As a child, he is desperate for his father's love and approval, so he allows something cruel to happen to his best friend and servant.  He is spoiled and selfish, contrasting with the kindness of his friend.  That action, though, haunts Amir the rest of his life, even after he moves to America.

I learned so much about Afghanistan from this novel, especially about the Taliban regime.  In our country of freedoms, it is hard to fathom the hardships other countries endure.  This book helps to enlighten you on that.  The author grew up in Afghanistan and later moved to America, similar to the main character, so his descriptions are based in reality.

One word of caution, though: this book is sad.  Even for me, a lover of sad books.  Do not read it as a pick me up.  There are few shining moments and no comic relief.  But it is beautifully written.

The other novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is actually my favorite of the two.  This may be because it focuses on women, but it is also because there is a little bit more light in this dark tunnel.  In this novel, the main characters, two women married to the same man, never leave Afghanistan.  Similar to the book I just wrote about, it focuses mostly on the treatment of women regarding their husbands and children (when Lois Jean recommended the other book to me, she said it's like A Thousand Splendid Suns, but true, and she was right).

Both of these books are interesting, well-written, and can teach you just how lucky we are to live in America.