A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Things I would have appreciated if they had included with this book:

• A box of tissues
• Waterproof mascara
• Prozac

I confess that I have not read Hosseini's first book, The Kite Runner, so I was a little bit unprepared for A Thousand Splendid Suns which is the emotional equivalent of being dropped off a 3 story building. In other words, you'll probably survive, but don't expect to be the same afterwards.

The book takes us to Afghanistan in the 1960's, to a 5 year old girl named Mariam, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man, who lives with her mother in a shed. I hesitate to give too much plot away, but imagine all of the terrible things that could happen in your life, and that's Mariam's side of the story.

Midway through the book we meet our second protagonist, Laila, whose world is shattered when all of the terrible things you can imagine also happen to her. For a while I wondered about the connection between the two women, as it was unclear if they would ever relate. Finally, in part 3 of the book the two women's stories converge when they find themselves married to the same (much older) man, who predictably, is also terrible.

If it seems like I'm making light of it, I am a little bit. But only because even thinking about some of things that happen in this book makes me nauseous. Mariam and Laila suffer unimaginable tragedy and experience grief that I can only hope I never have to face. And yet, they remain strong and find a way to carry on with their lives.

It's an intense read that gives us a perspective on modern day Afghanistan and its violent history most of us prefer not to think about. I bulldozed through it in the hopes of "ripping it off like a bandaid" which failed pretty miserably. It's no less upsetting no matter what your reading speed so I can only suggest that if you want to read the book, be sure to wear waterproof mascara, carry a box of tissues, and don't forget the Prozac.