Review- Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed responds to the heartbreak of the current refugee crisis with this deeply moving, beautifully illustrated short work of fiction for people of all ages, all over the world.

A short, powerful, illustrated book written by beloved novelist Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.

Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi’s, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution, and he will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.

Sea Prayer is only 48 pages, but they were 48 absolutely beautiful and heart-wrenching pages. I would expect nothing less from Khaled Hosseini, who is an auto-buy author for me as I have loved and had my heart-broken by all of his books. Dan Williams does the illustrations and they are gorgeous and atmospheric. Here is a link to his website if you are interested in seeing more of his work. I am definitely a fan of his style!

The book is a letter written by a father to his son before they board a boat in order to escape their war-torn country. The story along with the illustrations creates something that is very moving and powerful. I appreciate that this book highlights the experience of a refugee, which is something most of us will never be able to begin to understand, and for that we are blessed.

I have never read a book quite like this. I am so grateful to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy. I am proud to have Sea Prayer on my shelf. This is a something that I will cherish and share with many people in my life. It is appropriate for all ages.

I also think it is important to once again point out that Khaled Hosseini will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.