A short, powerful, illustrated book written by 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. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
I have heard it said we are the uninvited.
We are the unwelcome.
We should take our misfortune elsewhere.
But I hear your mother’s voice,
over the tide.
and she whispers in my ear,
“Oh, but if they saw, my darling.
Even half of what you have.
If only they saw.
They would say kinder things, surely.”
This is going to be a very short review because this is a very short book. I read it in just a few minutes, but it left an impression. This little book is a prayer from a father for his son and, oh my, it really made me feel things. It’s only 48 pages long, but by the time I finished, I wanted to cry.
This is the first work I’ve read by Hosseini and now I can’t even imagine why. If he was able to break my heart in 48 pages, I can’t imagine what he can do with a full-length novel.
#mm19: diversify your reading
#ps19: a book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America

Have you read Sea Prayer? Is it on your TBR?
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Touching and heartfelt review thank you. I love your posts and am totally in awe of the amount you post. I hope reading isn’t becoming a chore for you. All best Juliet
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I have read all of his Hosseini’s novels except this one. I discovered him back in the day with Kite Runner and he is an auto-buy author for me. I only found out about this book the other day and now after reading this review, I really want to get it. 🙂
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I hope you enjoy it!
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Short or long, I love your reviews. I haven’t heard of this novel from Hosseini before, but it must have been very moving if it made you want to cry!
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Thank you! It really was very moving.
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This is a touching review ,❤
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Thank you ❤️
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I will have to pick this up. I loved The Kite Runner. It’s worth your time.
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It’s definitely on my list!
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I’ve only read The Kite Runner by this author before but it was really good, although again definitely very emotional.
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I’ve heard that from a lot of people! I have it on my list and hopefully I’ll read it soon.
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I hope you like it when you get a chance to read it (:
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I’ve read all of Hosseini’s works (but for this one because of my reservations due to its length) and I can assure you that they are worth your time. He paints a picture of Afghanistan that is a world away from how it is and was perceived by the world over because of its Taliban history. You can start with The Kite Runner 🙂
On another note, you might have changed my mind on this book. 🙂
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I’ve had The Kite Runner for years and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to read it soon. And I hope you enjoy this one if you get the chance to read it!
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Oh, this must have passed me by when it came out, I’ll be finding it to read though! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
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You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
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I received this book as a Christmas gift from my son because he knows how much I LOVED the other books by Khaled Hosseini. I read The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And The Mountains Echoed. They were are extremely good and extremely heartbreaking. I found myself with tears throughout each. I highly recommend them and am glad that you enjoyed this book, as I did as well!
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I’ve been meaning to read The Kite Runner for years and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s definitely on my list. Hopefully I’ll be able to read it soon!
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