Five-Star Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini

Note: This review contains spoilers and discusses abuse, domestic violence, and war.

It’s been nearly two weeks since I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I’m still not sure how to capture my thoughts into an adequate review. In my opinion, Khalid Hosseini’s book is beautiful in its prose, painful in its subject matter, and necessary in its study of humanity. Here’s why.

A Quick Synopsis of A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the story of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, and how they are thrust together in the same household during the tumultuous, war-torn years of the late twentieth century in Afghanistan. Mariam faces a life with Rasheed, the abusive husband whom she was forced to marry at 15, while younger, more idealistic Laila must deal with her own loss of love and a promise for the future. When Rasheed marries Laila, the two women experience heartbreak and unimaginable pain in and outside of their home, which comes to a climax when the Taliban takes control of their homeland and their lives as women.

Why I Loved A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Writing: Authors who can transport you into a world with a single sentence have a special talent, one that I truly envy and admire. Hosseini is a clear example of this talent. This book started slowly for me, but it builds and envelopes you in Afghani culture and the world of its main characters. With prose and dialogue that brings you directly into the story, this writing is superb.

The Characters: It’s not uncommon for me to feel empathy for characters in a dramatic story, but Mariam and Laila broke my heart. They are both strong women in their own rights, but as they made tentative steps toward friendship and eventually forged a deep bond, I felt their pain and sadness. They cared for each other and made decisions that impacted each other’s lives. Mariam, who’d yearned for a close relationship with her own mother and then mourned for the children she was unable to bear, took on a maternal role as well, caring for Laila and comforting her when she could. Laila did the same in her own way, and each woman showed how much strength they could carry despite the abuse and violence set upon them by Rasheed and the Taliban.

The Humanity: Another compelling part that impacted me in A Thousand Splendid Suns was the humanity of the characters who meant the most, including

• Laila disobeying the laws so she could visit her daughter, unafraid of the beatings she’d inevitably receive
• Mariam continuing to recite the Quran, praying to God and keeping her faith despite the despair and pain in her family
• Laila’s father insisting that she attend school as a young girl for as long as she was able
• Tariq, Laila’s childhood friend, defending her with his prosthetic leg
• And more kind, humane people showing compassion (but I won’t share too much!)

I’m writing this review on September 5, 2023, just six days before the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th attacks by Al Qaeda. A Thousand Splendid Suns comes to a close soon after 2001, and so much has changed since then and again as the Taliban returned to control of Afghanistan in 2021. The tragedies of those attacks aren’t lost in this book, and the horrors of what the Taliban inflictes on the Afghani people are detailed throughout the story. It’s a book that will not just be on my favorites list, but one that will stay in my heart.