A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns recounts the experiences and emotions of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives become entangled with the history of recent wars in their country. Mostly bleak and heart-rending, their story does offer the promise of hope and happiness in a land ravaged by warfare, gender conflicts, and poverty.

This book is by the same author as The Kite Runner. In The Kite Runner, the main character was a boy that was followed through childhood into adulthood, through the changes in Afghanistan when the Soviets invaded and then the Taliban. The male story, however, showed how they escaped to America so a lot of the details of what happened in Afghanistan weren't as impactful.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, however, follows 2 females. Because of choices made by their families, they stay in Kabul through all of the horrific events. My heart ached for these women through the entire book. When I finished The Kite Runner, I couldn't quiet decide if I liked it or not, however, I was glad I had read it. With this book, I have no doubt that it is one of my favorites. This is a story I will treasure for the rest of my life. I find it important that a person read both of these books, though.