Opinion on The Bookseller of Kabul

To be frank, I was not a fan of Bookseller for several reasons. Firstly, I believe our society has been very interested in Afghani culture, almost obsessed even. That being said, I agree with Devika, I have read so many book on the topic to the point where I have trouble enjoying these sort of books. I realize that this shouldn't devalue Bookseller or sway my opinion of it because Bookseller is certainly quite different from the other books I have read. However, compared to the Kite Runner, Bookseller is not as interesting and captivating. The Kite Runner was a profound, intelligent, heartfelt book that really affected me because I could see that Hosseini really portrayed his life with a wonderful authenticity; therefore, Sierstad's writing seems to lack this authenticity that gave life and feeling to the Kite Runner. I understand that her writing is unique and deliberate in that she chooses to take this distant perspective- kind of like looking into a window and observing- but I still found it difficult to enjoy. All in all, I respect her attempt at giving us a different take on the culture we read about so often, but why read a book if it has no effect on you?