"But he wasn't fast enough. Mariam saw. A gust of wind blew and parted the drooping branches of the weeping willow like a curtain, and Mariam caught a glimpse of what was beneath the tree: the straight backed chair, overturned. The rope dropping from a high branch. Nana dangling at the end of it." If anyone has already read this book they may already recognize that this passage happened within the very first ten chapters of this book. It may seem intense, but for me, this is what kept me wanting to continue reading. I needed to know what happened next, and i am still needing to finish this story.
The author Khaled Hosseini is a man who is originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. He lived most of his childhood there and had experienced more than what most people would. For this purpose i believe that his writing has a much stronger impact on his readers than other authors.
He uses words that may be foreign to some, but in his writing he explains them in a way that is easy and clear for anyone who is reading. It makes the reader need to pay more attention to the detail and small passages throughout the story. Otherwise, there are important moments that will be missed and the story will be harder to understand. Typically, if the reader gets lost throughout the story, it is the writers fault. However, the story is clear enough and the fault will lie on the reader if they get lost.
Overall, i am really enjoying the story, and the author has me wanting to read more. I may not totally understand the culture behind the story, but i am learning.
What a fabulously written excerpt. What makes this so striking for me is the sentence fluency--the way Hosseini mixes up his lengths. That short sentence, "Mariam saw."just grabs your attention and draws you in. He's also making a good move by starting a sentence with "But he wasn't fast enough." Starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction like this adds emphasis on a significant point. And then he has a sentence fragment at the end! Using fragments like this is also another way to emphasize something you want your audience to remember. You can definitely imitate these moves, regardless of whether you're writing about your roommates, or something as serious as death.
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt is a great choice because it sums up the key ideas in W&R ch. 8. Thank you for sharing.