A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini



                Mariam was born in Herat. A harami or bastard child born to maid and a rich businessman. Her mother warned her of the type of man her father really was. A man who could send his child and her mother to live in a shack miles away from the city to hide his shame. Laila was born in Kabul to a loving mother and father. Her two older brothers would fight for the Taliban to defeat the Russians. Her brothers wanted a free Afghanistan. Death would surround both Mariam and Laila. Their stories would intertwine as the bombs fall around them and as Sharia Law begins to take over their land.
                Mariam and Laila’s story is told in four parts. Every single part is amazingly done and so well written. Hossieni dedicated the first part to Mariam and the second part to Laila and that ended up being a great decision. He really focused on building each characters lives and circumstances. Mariam and Laila were both extremely well rounded characters with such depth and emotion. I was almost brought to tears on more than one occasion because of their situations. I could never imagine living in a war torn Afghanistan but Hosseini did an amazing job creating this world, the fear, the bombings, the distrust and the confusion. Everything was done with such mesmerizing detail. It made for such an enjoyable reading experience that I didn’t want to put this book down.

                I’m giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. This was amazing. Hosseini was able to focus on two women in the middle of a war torn country and managed to focus on their strengths and their spirits in a time when no one could blame them for breaking down. I always had hope while reading this book. Even when it seemed like nothing was going to get better, even when Hosseini was describing body parts laying in the middle of the road. I had hope because there was something about Mariam and Laila and the relationship the two women formed with each other. I heard amazing things about this novel before I ever laid my hands on it and I must admit that none of it was unfounded. This was a great story. 

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