Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of two Afghan women whose lives intersect forcibly through their marriage to the same abusive man. It reveals, through their lives and experiences, the turbulent, harsh and often chaotic history of Afghanistan.

What is immediately apparent is that Hosseini is a wonderful story-telller. You start reading, then suddenly realize you're half-way through the book. He pulls you in right away and makes you care about his characters; they provoke some sort of response right off the bat. What I appreciated, though, was that Hosseini's characters were rather nuanced, not easy stereotypes. Even the “villains” have their soft spots, which you can at least acknowledge, yet still revile them.

A Thousand Splendid Suns was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I didn’t compare the book to Hosseini’s first story, The Kite Runner, because I haven’t read it yet. Folks who have read both, however, say this is even better than Kite Runner. Hmmm…I’ll have to find that out for myself. In closing I’ll say that unlike some stories I've read which are set in Afghanistan, this leaves the reader with a sense of optimism.