Staff Picks Blog
It was an absolute delight to read Khaled Hosseini’s new book A Thousand Splendid Suns. Set against the backdrop of unending war in Afghanistan, Hosseini crafts a book of unforgettable characters, horrible tragedy and personal triumph. I listened to the book, and Atossa Leoni’s narration is wonderful and compliments the story.
At age 15 Mariam, an illegitimate daughter, is forced to marry 40-year-old Rashid, who grows increasingly more brutal as the years pass without a male heir. When Rashid is 58, he takes a new wife, Laila. Laila is a bright and spunky 14-year-old who faces the choice of prostitution, starvation, or marriage to Rashid after her parents are tragically killed in a rocket attack. Laila is not only heartbroken by the death of her parents, but also the loss of special childhood friend, Tariq. Mariam and Laila form an unbreakable bond as they face the beatings and abuse, endorsed by custom and law, that become the reality of their daily lives.
Hosseini was born in Afghanistan in 1965 and moved to the United States in 1980 after his family was granted political asylum. Hosseini is a trained medical doctor and practiced medicine until 2004, the year after his first book, The Kite Runner, was published.
I highly recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns. ~ Enjoy ~
