This is one of the most thought provoking books which will touch you to the depths of your soul much like the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni. A story that puts forth the reality and way of life at the time of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and demonstrates the harsh reality through the eyes of the protagonist. We follow his life as he faces the death of family members, his father’s imprisonment, his need to study, excel and make a better life, the death of his wife and one true love and finally how he learns to love again.
The story has been handled sensitively and though it is a work of fiction, it manages to convey a lot of truth about the people and places at that time. It is a gripping story and is so well written that there is not one moment when the reader will feel like putting the book down. The story gets better and better as it progresses and though we are shown many horrifying things, we are compelled to turn to the next page to discover what happens.
The author has crafted her characters beautifully and we can see the variety of personalities. Right from the protagonist Ahmed Hamid, to his father who always encourages him to follow his dreams, his mother who doesn’t understand his need to study and make a better life for all of them, his brother Abbas who was close to him while growing up starts to think that he has betrayed them and become friends with the enemy whereas in reality all he does is mingle with people who are intellectually sound and who can rise beyond who they are and where they are from to form bonds of friendship for life.
This is a story that everyone should read. It is an experience that no-one should miss.
Leave a Reply