Jalil said she was his little flower. He was fond of sitting her on his lap and telling her stories, like the time he told her that Herat, the city where Mariam was born, in 1959, had once been the cradle of Persian culture, the home of writers, painters, and Sufis."You couldn't stretch a leg here without poking a poet in the ass" he laughed.
Hosseini has once again crafted a magnificent tale centered around Afgani culture. I loved the Kite Runner and, unlike many who say this second novel doesn't reach the same heights, I found this just as moving. While the Kite Runner focuses on a boy growing up, this book follows two girls growing up. The book covers the last thirty years of Afganistan's history as experienced by our two heroines.
Knowing the traumas and ordeals Afganistan has suffered, and the misogynist culture, a story about two girls lives will necessarily tear at your heart. This is not a book for the faint of heart. We experience the maturing of lives in the midst of horrible chaos. The story is beautifully woven between the two women and how their lives connect. Hosseini has an engaging ability to weave women's lives, history, culture into the tale. It affected me deeply.
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