Finalist, 2018 John Gardner Fiction Prize
The Place of Stones is the story of two families. Haydar and Jamal are best friends. Haydar is a dreamer who searches the hills for ancient treasure. Jamal is in love with Haydar’s sister, Golandam. The rapacious conversion of farmland to brick factories draws the trio into escalating conflict with the village landlord. In the wake of political and cultural shifts (the Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq war), the daily lives of the community change in unforeseeable ways.
"Hosseini... offers a powerful look at how outside forces shape rural life. The novel provides a rich sense of time and place, and a recently vanished lifestyle."
— Publishers Weekly
“Once Censored in Persian, A Novelist Finds Freedom in English”
— The Chicago Review of Books
“Hosseini’s prose is light but impactful, painting pictures in a deft style and allowing readers to perceive places that are not in front of them.”
— The New York Journal of Books
“In this novel, life in Southern Iran has been disrupted by industrialization and revolution. . . It is brought onto a personal level through the lives of two friends. . .”
— Worcester Telegram
“Hosseini's storytelling magically weaves together the lives of his characters ... leaving readers in no doubt that something is lost when the march toward modernization benefits a privileged few at the expense of the masses.”
— Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
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