A Thousand Splendid Suns

Yesterday, I posted a review about The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's first book. I finished his second book yesterday and really enjoyed it. What follows is my review, I hope you enjoy it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, is a book about two specific women in Afghanistan; however, it is a book about all women in Afghanistan, and the struggles that they face everyday. Khaled Hosseini, captures the struggles of these women, the same way that he captured the struggles of his main character in The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns, goes from the 1980's, all the way to 2003, and not once does it let you go. I read the whole book in essentially one sitting. The horrors that the women in the book face are almost beyond belief. They have to face their angry husband, and a world that is extremely unkind to women.

I felt that they way in which Khaled Hosseini captured the suffering of the two women was what made the book so enchanting. Despite the hardships that they had to face, he showed that they could still find love and friendship. The way that Khaled Hosseini showed that despite the abuse that their bodies and minds took, their spirits were still capable of achieving great heights. It is this realization that made the book so great for me.

A word of warning, A Thousand Splendid Suns is for adults and high school students. There is alot of violence and other adult themes. However, I do not think that this should turn away any perspective readers, but I do believe that it is for older students and adults.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a great novel, and is possibly even better than The Kite Runner. If you are looking for a novel that shows how the human spirit can survive even when faced with hardship, then look no farther than A Thousand Splendid Suns.