A book to read for many ‘splendid suns’

If The Kite Runner made you wipe your tears more times than you could count, then get ready to pull out all of your tissues and weep till eternity with a copy of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.

This book is a heart-wrenching story about two women–different, yet very much connected by the horrors they have seen transpire in the household they are forced to live in. Mariam and Laila are nearly twenty years apart, but they are tied to same man who abuses and mistreats them on a daily basis. Laila is a young girl who comes from a developing family which was broken apart due to the war ravaging Afghanistan; she is beautiful and smart and has a bright personality. Mariam is an older, uneducated, and far more plain-looking lady, who has failed to deliver a boy for her husband. Nevertheless, these two women find solace in each other to help them cope with their abusive husband and war-stricken land.

I recommend this book to anyone who loved The Kite Runner not only because it equals it in many ways but also surpasses it in matters of plot and character. Hosseini writes an engaging story of two women who have seen nothing but despair; he wreaks havoc in reader’s hearts with his vivid description of their lives and feelings even though it is written in the third person. One distinctive writing style of Hosseini’s is that many of his supporting characters are black and white, static characters which also form a sort of background to illuminate the development of the main characters. Angela Tan (10A) commented that, “I just love how Hosseini was able to make me feel like a kid again, blubbering and crying at everything that was going on. He put so much emotion into his book. It was, it was just amazing.”

“I have not read A Thousand Splendid Suns but judging by [Hosseini’s] previous book, The Kite Runner, I just know that it will be amazing, and just very emotional,” said Stefanie Deng (10C). For those who haven’t read but are willing to pick up a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns, it will be book they will never forget.

In this book, he tells of the remarkable friendship and love that binds these two women together, despite the horrific circumstances that brought them together. This is one of the few books that you can read over and over again, and you will be moved each time by the sacrifice and love that fills this book. Though this book does not end happily, it does end with a spark of hope: that one day what was lost will be found again.

Featured Image Courtesy of Steve Evans