Well, he's done it again! Khaled Hosseini has written another incredible novel. A Thousand Splendid Suns is the sequel story to Kite Runner. But unlike Kite Runner, this story focuses on the women in Afghanistan and the sexist rules they are forced to follow. You'll really enjoy reading this book. It's not just okay, and it's not just good, it's absolutely awesome!

“His powerful hand clasped her jaw. He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pried it open, then forced the cold, hard pebbles into it. Mariam struggled against him, mumbling, but he kept pushing the pebbles in, his upper lip curled in a sneer. ‘Now chew', he said” (pg. 94). This book has some pretty violent scenes and horrible acts. But it's based on the real lives of real women in Afghanistan, no more than fifty years ago. When Mariam is forced to marry a man thirty years older than she is, her once tolerable life changes into a nightmare that she can't awaken from. Yet another girl named Laila, who is fifteen years younger than Mariam, is put into a similar position after her parents are killed. During the whole story, a war is going on in Afghanistan threatening the lives of its civilians, and killing many innocent people. It's interesting reading about certain events that we've witnessed here in America, and learning about the reactions of those who witnessed the same, but on the other side of the world.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is packed with details of the true world most of us know little of, Afghanistan. It's definitely worth every second you spend reading it. It describes the awful and unfair lives of women, and how people like Mariam and Laila have true gallantry. I just wanted to say ‘You go girls!' because I know that I would never be able to last through some of the suffering they did. After finishing this novel, I feel so lucky to be living in a country where you don't need to worry about your life being taken from bombs being randomly dropped on houses, or being forced to marry a forty year old abusive husband, or getting beaten (almost to death) if I walk outside without being accompanied by a man. I recommend this novel without any hesitation. This genre is not usually a favorite of mine, so this book must be really good if I'm speaking so highly of it.