A Thousand Splendid Suns Book Review

If you haven't yet read Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, do yourself a favor, and don't wait for it to come out in paperback. Take a trip to your local bookstore (preferably an independent one) and pick up this novel, which will show you, in beautiful prose, the true cost of war and fundamentalism. As a person who usually looks down my nose at anything the popular culture is raving about, I wouldn't expect to find myself to be so wholeheartedly endorsing a book which holds the number one spot on the bestseller list. However, I have come to realize that if everyone is saying that something is good, sometimes it just might actually be so. Not only is Hosseini's novel full of vibrant, nuanced characters, but it offers many historical and political details I'm willing to bet many a reader can learn from. The story takes place in Afghanistan and spans time from the mid-seventies Soviet occupation to the post 9/11 War on Terror. The reader gains a view into life in this now well known country through the eyes of two women: Mariam and Laila. For much of this novel, that view is devastating. As much as Hosseini's book is about these exceedingly sympathetic characters, it is also about the country of Afghanistan. This is the story of a country who's people have been at the mercy of one regime after another to disastrous consequence. Read this novel for a compelling story that will keep you up past your bed time, and read this novel to remember that Afghanistan (as well as any country targeted by The War on Terror) is populated by regular people who suffer just as you and I do. In this time of war and fear, it seems we could all do with a reminder that the people we call our enemies have hearts and spirits just as delicate as out own.