A review by nincrony1
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Oh boy. I wasn’t anticipating this to take such an emotional toll. I’d read The Kite Runner many years ago and always intended to check out A Thousand Splendid Suns. I was initially concerned as to the structure of the novel (wherein we spend 25% with one character, 25% with another and then the final 50% merging the two together) but I should not have been concerned. It’s pays off in an achingly powerful way. Khaled Hosseini’s ability to craft vivid emotional tales of a world I suspect many of its readers would not know yet make it universal is no small feat and a true testament to his direct beautiful prose. It’s interesting as I openly weep at films often but books take a lot more to get me to that point but I read most of the final 50 or so pages behind streaming tears. Add to it a tinge of bitter sweetness as to what has happened to Afghanistan since the novel’s publication but I think its words ring just as true now, especially the quote that appears in the final couple of paragraphs. It’s a shattering work and a mainstream novel that I think can and has changed lives.