Fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, is a tale of two women whose lives intersect, then intertwine during a very volatile time in Afghanistan. In the forefront, two women, Mariam and Laila, grow up separately under different circumstances, but end up sharing a husband and their lives. The landscape of this tale is an ever-changing and politically manhandled Afghanistan. The horrors are atrocious, the love is deep and meaningful, and the loyalty is eternal.

This book was extremely moving. The English language mixed with the occasional Farsi was done without interruption to the story. It added to the tone and feel of the book. The story was detailed, yet simply written. I really sympathised with the characters, or hated them, depending. I cringed during many of the atrocities. But the ending was filled with hope and a kind of redemption that leaves the reader satisfied.

On a scale of 1-4 I give this book a 4. I loved it. Though I probably won't re-read this book, I will highly recommend it.


This book was published by Riverhead Books (a division of Penguin Books)
ISBN: 978-1-59448-950-1