Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan

I'm currently reading this book.

I am a huge fan of Khaled Hosseini.

'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is the first novel I read of his, and it helped me to overcome the unbearable feeling of homesickness I experienced during my first week of Taaruf at CFS IIUM in 2008 (it was my first time leaving home so yeah), by relating it with Mariam's life, and that her life is so pitiful as compared to mine that I felt ashamed with myself for crying in bed at night (only on the first night!) 

Since then, I had read this novel over and over and over again that I've lost count. I've probably read it for about 4 to 5 times already. 

I found 'The Kite Runner' in the CFS Library. That novel is so heartbreaking and cruel (yes, I'm talking about that sodomy scene!) that I can't bear to pick it up and read it again.

You can say that 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is my favourite Khaled Hosseini novel, probably because the 2 main characters are women, and that they are very courageous and mentally strong in overcoming the hurdles life had thrown towards them. That, and I've always been interested in the plights of women in other countries. It's not the religion which treats the women badly. It's the culture that had been embedded deep in their roots. But of course, the culture which perceives women as a second class gender is not the sole reason which lead to the women to be treated without respect, but it is no doubt, one of the main factors involved. At the end of the day, that individual himself is the one who is accountable for his own actions. 

I digress.

I hope that  'and the Mountains Echoed' will be an engaging read, like 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. 

While reading Khaled Hosseini's books which described about the various landscapes of Afghanistan, I felt compelled to google some pictures about Afghanistan in the 1950s and 1960s; the time settings for most of his novels. 

Some of my favourite pictures:

Lataband Pass on the way to Kabul  

This picture above is the Herat-Kabul Highway, possibly the route which Mariam and Rashid had taken to go to Kabul, soon after their marriage in Herat (it's not a happy marriage BTW, sorry to spoil it for you).

You can see more pictures and descriptions of each here (click) 

Afghanistan was so much beautiful and modern back then. It's sad to see what happened to it now. Women are denied of their educations (first thing in my mind!), plus so many absurd restrictions imposed upon its people (especially the women). You can read more about it in Khaled Hosseini's books. 

All right, back to reading!