Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the lives of two generationally different women originally from Afghanistan, and the journey they pursue during Soviet and Taliban control in the 1980s. The novel setting draws references to factual events in Afghanistan and provides detailed history of the oppression women, in particular, faced.
The novel is divided into 4 fundamental parts, initially following the story of Mariam, a child who lives with her mother in the outskirts of Herat. Mariam is the product of an illegitimate relationship between a rich Afghani man, and a maid. Mariam longs for her fathers admiration and approval which catalyzes major changes in her life as she matures.
Within the first 100 pages of the novel, the storyline shifts to that of Laila who shares characteristics with Mariam but grows up fundamentally differently. Laila is born into an affectionate home in Kabul with a loving family and tight-knit community that showers her with care.
Hosseini explores themes of friendship, love, hardship, war, heartbreak, faith, and death between the two characters in the next sections of the novel. The painfully stunning prose grasps the grueling obstacles the characters face and demonstrates the smallest slivers of hope humans hold in any given situation. This is a story unlike any other, and it deserves all the recognition it receives. If you enjoyed The Kite Runner, you will definitely find a new favorite in A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Favorite Line: “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.”