Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Imagine the setting: Kabul, Afghanistan in the mid-20th century. Terror streaks the city- the source ever changing, from a communist regime to a traditional Afghani government to radical Islamic Taliban forces. Amid all the destruction, 2 women live- Laila and Mariam. Their lives wrought with destruction, not only from the war itself but from personal experiences, the two meet and come together in an extraordinary and unpredictable way. The story centers around their childhood, their meeting, and finally, their journey together to find happiness and peace.

A fast and exciting read packed with history and emotion, even the most difficult to please reader will find something to enjoy in this latest book by the author of ‘The Kite Runner’. Impossible to put down and disappointing when you find yourself- suddenly- at the end, this book leaves you satisfied that you’ve read a good book. Anyone who reads this book won’t be disappointed.

Rated a perfect five out of five because it so well blends history from year to year while still managing to keep the emotions and characters as real as possible, ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is even better than it’s predecessor, ‘The Kite Runner’ (And, if you ask me, that was an excellent book, too!). I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for an amazing read.

Note: This book does contain mature content and sensitive-issue topics, which is why it’s recommended for mature highschool+. Not to say that some middle schoolers aren’t mature enough, but I wouldn’t hand it off to my 13-year-old little sister.