It is a packed and lively narrative that does not get mired in the bleak subject or in the disasters besetting the unfortunate women. Yet this book represents a falling away from the earlier one, perhaps because second time round rarely satisfies fully. One also becomes more aware of limitations like the rather sketchy depiction of the characters: the husband is no more than a ragbag of perversity and even his wives are not endowed with much inner life, being essentially victims in a web of adversity.
Hosseini may not make memorable characters but he does tell memorable tales. He describes himself as a storyteller and he builds his narrative by stringing together a series of sometimes loosely connected tales and incidents. Some are set-piece efforts: marriage, funeral, visit to the great Buddhist statues at Bamiyan, and so on. The impact of individual scenes can be intense but the compass is not wide. Only towards the end does the claustrophobic atmosphere lift slightly as the Taliban are routed and the improbable love story between one of the women and her childhood sweetheart is consummated. A new life for the torn and bleeding country at last seems possible, as symbolised in her pregnancy.
Those who loved Kite Runner—and there are upwards of 4 million of them worldwide—will no doubt turn in expectation to Suns, and on the whole they will not be disappointed. The author’s skill at fashioning the successive vignettes that keep his readers engaged will ensure that. Yet this is thinner gruel, less fully realised and less satisfying than the last.
