Khaled Hosseini has the innate ability to send the taste of bile through your throat in an instant, depict gory acts without actually being vivid, make your heart flutter with joy and despair at will - while you still keep that small flame of hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel - and a very bright one at that. But most of all, he makes you wonder about the fate of Afghanistan and Afghanis, making you ask: 'What if?'.

Enchanting narrative. A carefully woven work laced with Farsi culture, literature and rituals in the backdrop of a troubled country. A vivid description of the wars through the experiences of the characters - even the meanest of them all.

Love. Honour. Survival. Desperation. But most of all, Hope. That is what this book is about - to me at least.