A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Buy: Amazon
Khaled Hosseini’s novel, ‘The Kite Runner’ left an unforgettable impression on me. When someone or something moves you in such a way, the desire to return and experience it again is great. With ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, Hosseini offered such an opportunity.
Most of his latest book was consumed on my flight from San Jose to Portugal. If one must feed the body airplane food, than at least the mind can dine on caviar.
Like his previous triumph, it successfully brings deeper meaning to events that happen at a macro level by focusing on a few lives. In this case, three decades of Afghan history is seen from the perspective of two women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives cross paths as a result of different tragedies. Throughout this novel, these two women are pitted with one tragedy after another and as their lives become more bleak and dark, they are able to find joy in each others friendship.
Although I truly enjoyed this book, perhaps my expectations were set a little high with “The Kite Runner”. When I finished the book, sat it down on the tray table, and leaned back as far as my airplane seat would let me, I realized that my heart did not ache as deeply, nor were my eyes as moist as when I had finished “The Kite Runner”. As a book amid all other books, it is a dragon among roosters. Alas, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is eclipsed by one kite.
