After a lovely summer break, our first book discussion of the new club year was held at my (Anne’s) home on a Tuesday. We discussed the newest book by bestselling author Khaled Hosseini, the Afghan author of The Kite Runner which we had read in the Club’s first year.

This book was written very differently than Hosseini’s previous books, as the story was told from the vantage point of different characters, and in different times, spanning from 1952 – 2010. We wondered if the author was experimenting with a new style? At any rate, while most found this new approach a surprise from this author, once you got used to it, it was interesting to have different perspectives on the tragic event that befalls siblings Pari and Abdullah at the beginning of the story, as well as other situations the characters found themselves in.

The book raised many questions about the wavering line between right and wrong and the nature of the sacrifices made by different characters for a variety of reasons. Sometimes good intentions had a good effect – but not always! – and selfish motivations could have a positive effect. The writing was beautiful and Hosseini can really create vivid images through his descriptive writing. The epigraph of the book, a line from a 13^th century Rumi poem, was a fitting thought: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”