Author Feature | Khaled Hosseini

2013 A to Z Challenge: Letter K = Khaled Hosseini

Despite only having released two books, author Khaled Hosseini’s name is recognized by most bibliophiles. His two novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner have both been on the New York Times bestseller list. Both books are set in Afghanistan and Hosseini does a fantastic job of painting a vivid picture of the struggles of everyday life in Afghanistan.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is about two women living in the midst of a war torn country. It follows the individual lives of Mariam and Laila and then beautifully ties their two stories together. Under the tyranny of a husband steeped in Muslim tradition and custom, the two women come together and find friendship, family, and love in one another. In an effort to survive, sacrifices are made in an attempt to find real, lasting happiness. I sobbed through the last 40 pages of this book. I absolutely loved it. Overall Rating:

The Kite Runner is a beautiful story about redemption. Amir and Hassan, best friends, are growing up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. One day, Amir betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies. Because of his guilt, Amir forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father’s service. Amir’s relatively privileged life in Kabul comes to an end when the communist regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him to the U.S. After Amir’s father dies, he receives a letter from his father’s most trusted business partner, which makes Amir return to a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and Hassan’s family. Overall Rating:

Hosseini’s newest book releases on May 21st, 2013. It’s called, And the Mountains Echoed. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and will anxiously anticipate my Amazon Prime shipment of it on the eve of May 21st.