A review by maketeaa
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i think, above all, this is a love story in the broadest way possible. it is about love interwoven with fear, in an environment where survival is not guaranteed -- or, rather, is not guaranteed to be easy. in the context of the afghan war hosseini brings together two women under the same roof in a co-wifeship, and how, despite all the differences between them, love blossoms from their shared sisterhood and desire to protect one another. allyship against their abusive husband turns into a friendship turns into what becomes a mother-daughter relationship, a sharp, tearjerking contrast from the harsh conditional tolerance the rest of the world treat these women. a quote from the beginning of the book encapsulates this story perfectly: a man's heart is not like a mother's womb. it will not stretch to accommodate for you. it will not bleed. but despite not being of each other's wombs, mariam and laila did exactly this for one another, stretched and bled until, at least through one of them, they could experience a birth into a better life.