Heartbreaking, fascinating, honest. The story of the siblings Abdullah and Pari, and the many branches that grow after the event, takes us to a myriad of lives affected by one decision. I couldn't stop reading. As usual, Khaled Hosseini brilliantly manages to weave fictional narratives into the social and political context of Afghanistan at the times in which the stories take place. With their lives intertwined for different reasons and at different times, the characters are extraordinarily complex, deeply human. He is definitely among my favorite authors.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but this book continues Hosseini’s successful streak of creating compelling stories of contemporary Afghans and the rippling effects of war across that country.

Khaled Hosseini's storytelling spans countries, generations, and families in a truly impressive way. However, I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. Just as I started to feel invested in one, the story moved on to someone else. Sometimes, details seemed overlooked when the focus shifted (like how/when did Abdullah get to America? etc). This made it hard to fully immerse myself in the book. Nonetheless, Hosseini's writing is still powerful, exploring themes of love, loss, and redemption with insight. Although, unlike his other works which emotionally destroy me, this one didn't have the same impact for me.

Couldn't find the edition I read on Literal so this is what we've got?