A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the story of two different women living in Afghanistan from the 1960s to the early 2000s. The book follows the two separate stories of Mariam and Laila as they fight for their lives through the horrific war times while they were living in Kabul. Author Khaled Hosseini paints some searingly graphic scenes throughout the novel that allow the reader to create a powerful connection to the story and the characters within the story.

Mariam and Laila were brought together by war and by loss. Throughout each of their lives, they have dealt with an onslaught of devastation, losing family members left and right and later being forced into unions that are abusive.Mariam and Laila had to make a lot of self-sacrifice to survive in such an oppressive environment.

Khaled Hosseini is a very powerful writer, which we've seen before in Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns is not a happy book. It is a book of war, destruction, loss, and the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan, but it is an honest book which is why I enjoyed it. As I read, I found myself feeling empowered by the women in the novel, rooting for them and wanting them to be successful in bettering their lives. They both showed great strength and it was easy to feel a connection to the characters. It is very eye-opening to read a story like this that is so different from my own culture and life and it helps you be more aware of how other people live and what they have to deal with on a daily basis.

I recommend this book to fans of Hosseini's work and to anyone who is looking for a gripping read that is hard to put down. A Thousand Splendid Suns will keep you interested the whole way through.