Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By Khaled Hosseini

In one of my searches for a good read over the Christmas holiday I came across A Thousand Splendid Suns. I had seen the movie, Kite Runner and loved it, so I had pretty good idea that I would like this book. Hosseni did not disappoint at all; I could hardly put the book down.

The story revolves around two women, Miriam and Lalia where their lives become intertwined by circumstances beyond their control in Afghanistan. The author covers the last thirty years of what is like for women to live in Afghanistan under different ruling regimes.

 I believe Hosseini does a fabulous job of building a bridge of understanding of a different culture; by giving us a peek into how the cultural norms in a male dominated society changed over time for these women. Heartache and sorrow is a universal theme that most people can relate to, as well as motherhood. The author did a wonderful job in inviting the reader into the women’s lives in such a way that empathy triumphed over the differences in how they lived their lives.

After reading this book, I came away with a different outlook of the plight of the Afghanistan women. My heart was torn by their suffering, but also inspired by their courage.  Hosseini’s ability to captivate me, by the sights and sounds of the imageries of Afghanistan gave me a very different perspective of that country. I was enthralled by its beauty and appalled by the tyrants that took over and destroyed their homeland. Before this book I never had any desire to visit that part of the world, but after reading it, I would love to visit.

I highly recommend this book. If you have read this book, any thoughts?