Book Reviews
I know, I know, wedding recaps would be more exciting than book reviews but it is getting late and I don't want to stay up an extra hour uploading photos.
First, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner was a fairly ubiquitous novel in 2007 and 2008. Trying to follow up that narrative would be daunting for any first time novelist but I firmly believe that Hosseini one upped himself with his second novel. Where The Kite Runner forced the plot beyond reality in the second half, A Thousand Splendid Suns tells a believable story of war, violence, and misogyny throughout. Like The Kite Runner, Hosseini clearly spells out his theme with a quote repeated throughout the novel.
"Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always."
The novel follows two Afghan women: Mariam, a harami (illegitimate child) of a wealthy business man from Herat and Laila, the daughter of a former teacher in Kabul. The first part of the novel explores Mariam's childhood and eventual marriage. Next up is the story of budding love between childhood best friends Laila and Tariq. In the third part of the novel, the two women meet when Mariam is 37 and Laila 14. Brought together by the despicable Rasheed, the women eventually bring each other solace and friendship in an otherwise bleak existence where they are left to the whim of their husband and the brutal rules of the mujahideen and Taliban. I don't want to give much away since the plot is simple, which allows Hosseini to focus on developing his characters fully. I will say that what impressed me most is Hosseini's exploration of suffering among women, not just the main characters but also their mothers. Some crumble under not being able to control their destinies while others retain their spirit.
Second, East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
This is a great summer read. Though it focuses on three women finding love, IT IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL. Set in 1929, it follows Viva, a young woman, trying to reconnect with her childhood in India where she lost her entire family - father, mother, and sister. Sent back to England by her mother before dying, Viva attends boarding schools and eventually carves out a meager existence for herself as a typist for a female writer. She learns from the manipulative douche, William, there is a trunk belonging to her parents being stored in India. Emboldened by this new quest, she falsely advertises her age and familiarity with India to become a chaperon to afford the trip. Her charges: 1. Rose, charming, beautiful, and blond. She is going to India to marry an officer she has met a handful of times and struggles against her homesickness. 2. Tor, Rose's best friend and bridesmaid. She tries way too hard to impress men due to her mother's continual harassment. Tor despite being there to support Rose has her own quest to shed her virginity at the first chance she gets and find a husband. 3. Lastly Guy, the creepy as hell 16/18/19 (pathologically lied about his age) expelled student being returned to his parents in India.
Part coming of age, part history book, this novel captures not only the desperation of women looking for their last chance at marriage in India but also the unrest as the Britain Raj comes to its end. The journey to India is only a small part of the novel. It is how their lives unfold once in India that is truly good storytelling.
Lastly, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Acclaimed as the Best Book of the Year by the New York Times and many other critics, this book, IMHO, is awesome. It is comprised of 8 short stories exploring the generational struggles of Bengali families living in America. It follows a minor population of highly educated Bengalis - I swear every character has a Ph.D.
Lahiri creates wonderfully, vivid characters. She describes moods and emotions so beautifully that I would get tense when there was awkwardness between characters and tearful when they were upset. Even though I would get frustrated as a story ended (except for one, I wanted them all to continue), I would get immediately invested in the new story.
The final three stories of the book are tied and I was blown away by the power of the ending. It follows a man and woman who meet in childhood and get a chance at love later in life. They narrate their stories to each other, telling the other how they felt during certain episodes and the impact of the other on their life.
Themes explored throughout the book center on isolation in a new land, death, love, addiction, adultery, the struggles between parents and children, and resignation. Lahiri's talent is awe inspiring - she narrates from the male and female perspective with equal honesty, she switches from third person in one story to first person in another flawlessly. And though there were common themes and culture between the stories I felt that they were all equally powerful and unique.
First, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner was a fairly ubiquitous novel in 2007 and 2008. Trying to follow up that narrative would be daunting for any first time novelist but I firmly believe that Hosseini one upped himself with his second novel. Where The Kite Runner forced the plot beyond reality in the second half, A Thousand Splendid Suns tells a believable story of war, violence, and misogyny throughout. Like The Kite Runner, Hosseini clearly spells out his theme with a quote repeated throughout the novel.
"Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always."
The novel follows two Afghan women: Mariam, a harami (illegitimate child) of a wealthy business man from Herat and Laila, the daughter of a former teacher in Kabul. The first part of the novel explores Mariam's childhood and eventual marriage. Next up is the story of budding love between childhood best friends Laila and Tariq. In the third part of the novel, the two women meet when Mariam is 37 and Laila 14. Brought together by the despicable Rasheed, the women eventually bring each other solace and friendship in an otherwise bleak existence where they are left to the whim of their husband and the brutal rules of the mujahideen and Taliban. I don't want to give much away since the plot is simple, which allows Hosseini to focus on developing his characters fully. I will say that what impressed me most is Hosseini's exploration of suffering among women, not just the main characters but also their mothers. Some crumble under not being able to control their destinies while others retain their spirit.
Second, East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
This is a great summer read. Though it focuses on three women finding love, IT IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL. Set in 1929, it follows Viva, a young woman, trying to reconnect with her childhood in India where she lost her entire family - father, mother, and sister. Sent back to England by her mother before dying, Viva attends boarding schools and eventually carves out a meager existence for herself as a typist for a female writer. She learns from the manipulative douche, William, there is a trunk belonging to her parents being stored in India. Emboldened by this new quest, she falsely advertises her age and familiarity with India to become a chaperon to afford the trip. Her charges: 1. Rose, charming, beautiful, and blond. She is going to India to marry an officer she has met a handful of times and struggles against her homesickness. 2. Tor, Rose's best friend and bridesmaid. She tries way too hard to impress men due to her mother's continual harassment. Tor despite being there to support Rose has her own quest to shed her virginity at the first chance she gets and find a husband. 3. Lastly Guy, the creepy as hell 16/18/19 (pathologically lied about his age) expelled student being returned to his parents in India.
Part coming of age, part history book, this novel captures not only the desperation of women looking for their last chance at marriage in India but also the unrest as the Britain Raj comes to its end. The journey to India is only a small part of the novel. It is how their lives unfold once in India that is truly good storytelling.
Lastly, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Acclaimed as the Best Book of the Year by the New York Times and many other critics, this book, IMHO, is awesome. It is comprised of 8 short stories exploring the generational struggles of Bengali families living in America. It follows a minor population of highly educated Bengalis - I swear every character has a Ph.D.
Lahiri creates wonderfully, vivid characters. She describes moods and emotions so beautifully that I would get tense when there was awkwardness between characters and tearful when they were upset. Even though I would get frustrated as a story ended (except for one, I wanted them all to continue), I would get immediately invested in the new story.
The final three stories of the book are tied and I was blown away by the power of the ending. It follows a man and woman who meet in childhood and get a chance at love later in life. They narrate their stories to each other, telling the other how they felt during certain episodes and the impact of the other on their life.
Themes explored throughout the book center on isolation in a new land, death, love, addiction, adultery, the struggles between parents and children, and resignation. Lahiri's talent is awe inspiring - she narrates from the male and female perspective with equal honesty, she switches from third person in one story to first person in another flawlessly. And though there were common themes and culture between the stories I felt that they were all equally powerful and unique.