“Each snowflake was a sigh heard by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. All the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women suffer.”

Khaled Hosseini, author of the Kite Runner, a literary sensation and universal bestseller; stunned the world with his ability to engross his audience with tangible plot lines through his undoubtedly, captivating novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Khaled Hosseini, through his words and modern literature, captures the essence of history, imagery, and thematic significance. The novel opens up with a discussion between a mother and her daughter, Mariam, about the conventional hardships of being a woman in an Afghan society. The initial appearance of the conversation to the reader, piques their interest, and the issue of social justice for women constantly remains the main theme throughout the entire plot as Hosseini vividly carries the reader through the trials of an abusive polygamous marriage in a Middle Eastern society.

The plot twist begins in the early 1970s, when communist Russia threatens to try and take superior control of the menacing Taliban. Little Mariam, waits at the small stream near her Kolba for her father every Thursday being an illegitimate child and kicked out of her father Jalil’s mansion. When Jalil didn’t return one Thursday, Mariam decided to embark on a journey to the city to find Jalil. Instead when she reached his mansion she was given an unpleasant surprise by being married off to the cold and bitter Rasheed. The families of the two main female protagonists Mariam and Laila, were affected in their own ways causing them to die very melancholic deaths, leaving both of them to flee Kabul and escape to Iran. After Laila’s family perishes in a bomb explosion, she awakes from her coma, and finds herself in Mariam and Rasheed’s small house. She soon becomes Rasheed’s second wife, and through Rasheed’s presence, Laila was forced to abide by his rules and commands.

As the turbulent era of the 1980s and 1990s pass, Mariam and Laila’s polygamous marriage becomes increasingly troublesome and difficult for both of them. During this time, Mariam and Laila begin to form a sisterly bond and rely on each other in every day life to survive. Despite the merciless Taliban continuing to rein Afghanistan at the long conclusion of the novel, Hosseini weaves up the uneven ends of the story and unites the characters with a sad ending.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a page-turning phenomenon written with high moral values, and the power of forgiveness and loyalty. I recommend this book to any teen or adult, looking for a novel with factual information and a beautifully seamed narrative.