With the same magic of his first book, Khaled Hosseini tells a different story: "A Thousand Splendid Suns."
Set in Afghanistan, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" begins with Mariam’s poignant tale.
Her pessimistic mother forbids her from going to school, believing that the only lesson an Afghan woman needs to learn is how to endure.
"Endure what?" little Mariam can only wonder at the time. Soon enough, life gives her plenty to endure.
Her mother hangs herself, and Mariam is forced into marriage.
Reading about Mariam’s pain is made somewhat easier by the story of Laila, the seemingly content girl in the neighborhood.
Yet even Laila does not stay happy for long.
War plagues Afghanistan, the Taliban arrive, and Laila’s best friend is killed.
Then fate brings Mariam and Laila together, and they become as close as sisters, some could even say as close as mother and daughter.
As a female reader, I think the insight with which Hosseini describes the feelings and thoughts of the two women is amazing.
Hosseini’s first book portrays bonds between boys and men, sons and fathers. But
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" revolves mainly around daughters and mothers and the sacrifices that girls and women make.
When Laila takes shocking action to hide a secret, she proves that a woman’s love can move her to patiently tolerate anything.
The novel also depicts a war-stricken country from the citizens’ view, as Hosseini forces readers to imagine themselves in the sadly accurate scenes of Afghanistan’s history — and to experience the plight of some of the women.
Hosseini had captured hearts with "The Kite Runner," and he has done it yet again with another suspenseful, heartbreaking and moving novel.
With his exceptional gift for storytelling, Hosseini can make even the most unfeeling souls cry.
His style is simple and his words are clear as he illustrates the horrors that Afghani women have had to overcome in the near past.
He uses this skill in such a way that terrors and appalling facts are not hidden or softened. Fans and reviewers have declared "A Thousand Splendid Suns" a success, and the Richard & Judy Book Club chose it as a nominee for Best Read of the Year 2008.
Unimaginably tragic, this tale is an experience that no one should miss.
Reading about the incredible strength with which Mariam and Laila survive their abusive husband will have you uptight with anger, and possibly in tears.
I found myself lost in the pages, hesitant to put it down, finding excuses to keep reading late into the night.
When reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns," keep a tissue box handy just in case the reality proves to be too much to handle.
