Two Great Reads

I finally managed to finish reading two books in two months, hahaha! Gawd, I miss those days when I had so much free time that I could virtually devour one in a day or less. These days I just rush through as many pages as I can while my baby sleeps *sigh*.

Anyway, before I digress any further, back to the two books. I finally read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of two people, Henry and Clare, who meet, fall in love, have a child, and then pass on. But the story isn't quite that simple. You see, Henry meets Clare when he is 28 and she is 20, but she has known him since she was 6. He involuntarily travels through time because of a yet undiscovered genetic disease and ends up seeing Clare throughout her childhood. But when they meet in real time for the first time he has no idea who she is. The story jumps from time period to time period, location to location. Confusing? That's the whole beauty of the book. You have to read it to understand and enjoy it.

To watch the love grow between these two people is endearing but without being too mushy or sappy. It just lets us know that love knows no boundaries and transcends time and death. In addition, the novel is being made into a film with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in the lead roles. I only hope the movie remains true to the book. In any case… you should read it before you watch the film.

The second book I read is A Thousand Splendid Suns. If you read The Kite Runner, I tell you, this won't disappoint you. In a way, it's even better. It is the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, who grow up very differently but are brought together by the tragic circumstances of war and fate and form a rare bond of love and friendship. Their story is painted against the last thirty years of Afghanistan's volatile history. This book gives glimpses of the history, culture, and the unbending traditions and practices of the land where the story takes place. It portrays the devastation caused by a prolonged war, suffering, sacrifices, compassion and acceptance of fate... like the point where Mariam tells Laila, “For me, it ends here.” Through all these, life, maimed or otherwise, goes on and love endures.

After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, I am ever so much more grateful to be a woman living in a free country. The degradation and abuse that is still being inflicted upon women in certain countries and cultures to this day is deeply disturbing. And yet they survive because they know no other way… and that is extremely inspiring.

So, what are you waiting for? :o)