inconceivably

This story is truly heartbreaking...the way women are treated is disgusting...if things like that happened here in America we'd all be sharpening our shovels. It is really eye-opening to read this and see and understand how lucky we are to live in such a forward-thinking society.The way Hosseini writes is magnificent, he captures the thoughts and feelings of women so accurately. I couldn't be more impressed, its like he really was a woman living in Afghanistan. Some of the things he wrote absolutely blew my mind. For example:She held her breath, and, in her head, counted seconds. She pretended that for each second that she didn't breathe, God would grant her another day with Jalil.That was such an insightful passage to me, because I used to always do silly little superstitious things like that...like, if I was expecting a call, closing my eyes and counting to 50 thinking that when I was done the phone would ring. It just made me feel that much more connected to Miriam.Miriam's story is probably the most gut-wrenching awful thing I have ever read. I loved the way she was so closed off to Laila at first. After everything she had gone through, how could she not be? I really appreciated how he made her a real character in ways like that, instead of an unrealistic robot.I wouldn't describe the end of the book as happy, but at least Laila has a little bit of hope for a happy life....as much as is possible in that culture. It really was an eye-opening novel about the horrors of life for women there.I definitely recommend reading this book. It isn't a fun read, or a happy one. But it is important...necessary even. It is a tribute to Khaled Hosseini's ability to capture a terrible reality, and a testament to the strength of the women living in it.