Book Reviews

I read three books recently, so I might as well lump my comments for all of them together. They really have nothing to do with each other, so I shouldn't just drop them all in one post. Oh, well.

First, I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Like his other book, The Kite Runner, it provides an overview of the past thirty years in Afghanistan's history through the eyes of the people. I haven't read The Kite Runner, but I'm familiar with the basic story. As the main characters in that are boys, this book goes the opposite route. The characters are strong, which makes their suffering all the more difficult to read about. Lots of it is tragic, but there are glimpses of hope in it. There are also some nice moments of subversive kindness. My favorite example is one character who secretly educates orphans despite the fact that some of them are girls and the Taliban wouldn't allow that. Moments like that and being able to see familiar events through different eyes make this a worthwhile read.

It was very sad and infuriating in places, however, and this made it hard to read. I took a break two-thirds in to read something lighter, Alan Moore's Watchmen. Laugh if you've read it, but if something is satirical and as over-the-top with its violence as Watchmen is, it's easier to keep from being too attached.

There actually were parts in this graphic novel when I laughed out loud. The only character with superpowers is completely powerful, but also detached from human feelings or needs. He has a bad habit of forgetting little things, like people need oxygen to breathe. It makes for some funny moments.

There also is a disturbing quality to Watchmen, as it questions the integrity of heroes in general. The amount of character development for the "heroes" was impressive.

It's also cinematic. It left me feeling like I read a good novel and watched a movie at the same time. Do they really need to make it a movie? I guess some of us will find out.

Finally, I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and needed something less heavy. Nick Hornby's Slam did the trick. He tells the story of a young man who was born when his mom was sixteen. He meets a girl, and the one thing he tried to avoid happens-impending teen parenthood. Somehow there are a lot of laughs.

Most of this book is as good as anything Hornby has written (I'm especially fond of A Long Way Down). He straddles the line between uncomfortable and funny, and even throws in some fantasy elements that work (for the most part). He gets some good points across, through his fictional sixteen year old narrator. There were times when I thought this might become one of my new favorites. Then I got to the end.

Hornby's endings usually leave you with more questions and few (if any) pat answers. It gives a believable ending and ecourages the reader to think. It's good writing.

Slam seems to strive for a neater ending. I might be alone in this, but neat endings often make me feel betrayed. It seems condescending.

In Slam's defense it doesn't go for the super-spoon fed-to-you happy ending, so it's still readable and enjoyable.