A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

Another gripping novel from the author of The Kite Runner. This book is about two victimized but courageous Afghan women. The story begins in 1974 before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Mariam is a bastard whose father married her off at 15-years-old to a 40-year-old widow named Rasheed. He insists that she wear a burqa and she lives in fear of him. In 1987, the story switches to a neighbor, nine-year-old Laila, her playmate Tariq and her parents. Laila eventually become Rasheed's second wife over Mariam's objections. The heart of the novel is the gradual bonding between Mariam and Laila, and the life they endure in a country where women have almost no freedom and no rights. Despite all the pain and heartbreak, the novel is never depressing. I highly recommend this book!