Book Review

The best-selling novel, "The Kite Runner", became so successful that it was made into a film. Years after this success, Afghan-born novelist Khaled Hosseini, publishes another view of the Afghanistan described in "The Kite Runner." The first book tells a story of camaraderie between boys, father and son relationships, and struggles from a male perspective. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" shines light on what happens behind the veils of Afghan women.

Published in 2007, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" tells the story of two women, Mariam and Laila. The novel is split into four sections.

The first part introduces 15-year-old Mariam, who is forced to marry an older man, Rasheed, after her mother commits suicide. Rasheed is a villainous shoe maker in Kabul. In public, Rasheed requires Mariam to wear a Burqa. Mariam is kept at the tattered home, where she ages ungracefully and endures abuse from her controlling husband. Mariam always loses the baby when she gets pregnant. This causes Rasheed to resent her more.

The second part presents the heroine of the story, Laila. Laila lives down the street from Rasheed and Mariam. Laila is the daughter of Hakim, a liberal school teacher, and Fariba, the mother who worries too much about her two sons at war and forgets all about her daughter. Laila's best friend, Tariq, eventually becomes the object of her affection. Tariq and his family are forced to flee to Pakistan because of rocket attacks showering Kabul.

The third part shows the intertwining lives of Mariam and Laila. At the age of 14, Laila loses her family and ends up being Rasheed's other wife. At first, Mariam and Laila do not get along, but when Laila has her baby, Aziza, Mariam and Laila eventually become friends. They help protect each other from Rasheed's violent temper. Like "The Kite Runner," this story incorporates a friend's self-sacrifice for the story's main character.

Hosseini tells not only about the lives of these two women, but also includes details about life in Kabul before and during the Taliban's rise to power. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" provide a different perspective on Afghanistan than reports delivered by the news. This novel accommodates people's interests in learning about Afghanistan, women in Afghanistan, and a different view point of "The Kite Runner."