A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns has undoubtedly lived up to the expectations of Hosseini's fans. Just like The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns was the beautiful, haunting, and powerful cultural tale of innocent people triumphing over violence. The book, set in Afghanistan, tells the story of two very different women. Mariam is the illegitimate child of Jalil Khan, the owner of multiple businesses and husband to three wives, and Nana, an ugly, bitter, and old maid who worked for Mariam's father. Laila is the child of a well respected teacher and his wife, a modern woman. Although Mariam and Laila each come from unique backgrounds, they both have experienced similar grief and loss. When the Taliban invades their city, Kabul, the two women find themselves being forced to serve the cruel Rasheed. Together Mariam and Laila suffer; the pain causing them to grow closer than ever expected. Their bond helps them overcome the violence they've faced and allows a new life to be started for their family.

Now let's compare and contrast. Is A Thousand Splendid Suns as good as The Kite Runner? I think one of the most intriguing things about reading The Kite Runner was how you feel like you're getting this very real cultural experience by simply sitting in a chair and soaking up words. Afghanistan is all over our TVs, newspapers, and computers here in the U.S., but I don't think the way of life is something many of us have a good grasp on. When I first read The Kite Runner I found that place, those people, and their customs to be so interesting because it was something I'd been exposed to continually, but didn't really understand. It was a complete different world from our own. Reading one of these books almost feels like reading a fantasy story because it takes you out of your normal environment and puts you in a place that's pretty hard to imagine without some help from your lovely narrator. That excitement, the thrill of a new place is sort of difficult to get back when you're reading about the same place you've read before. A Thousand Splendid Suns was a truly amazing book, but that world wasn't as intriguing as before because, well, I'd already been there. It you've never read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns and you're wondering which book to read first, I suggest The Kite Runner. Unlike A Thousand Splendid Suns the book is set in Afghanistan as well as the U.S. so the contrast between the two places is very apparent. Read The Kite Runner first and then immediately run to your bookstore and buy A Thousand Splendid Suns. The $18.00 you'll spend is 100% worth it.

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