Hosseini, Khaled - A Thousand Splendid Suns

11:48am Monday 28th January 2008

A THOUSAND Splendid Suns is the second literary offering from Khaled Hosseini, author of the bestselling novel The Kite Runner.

After devouring his debut in record time I was somewhat sceptical that he could recreate in A Thousand Splendid Suns what he managed in The Kite Runner.

"This is a story of conflict between past, present and future, of the bond that exists between women who love each other like sisters, and of the desperate fight to survive in a changing world."

Joanna Lean

But match it he did, crafting a story of two women's tangled lives in Afghanistan, following the battles they wage against their heritage, their families, their desires and their country.

Hosseini narrates the tale of Mariam and Laila, two women bound together by a shared husband, and their struggle to exist in an Afghanistan ravaged by civil war.

The complex ties between the women lead to an ever-strengthening friendship and Hosseini's portrayal of two incredibly strong women fighting the Taliban regime and everything it stands for is striking.

This is a story of conflict between past, present and future, of the bond that exists between women who love each other like sisters, and of the desperate fight to survive in a changing world.

Hosseini truly deserves every ounce of praise he gets for his novels and A Thousand Splendid Suns, while sometimes uncomfortable to read, should be on everybody's coffee table.