A Thousand Splendid Suns is an intergenerational novel detailing the experiences of two Afghan women. The older, Mariam, is born an illegitimate child in poverty, her younger counterpart Laila born to educated parents at a progressive time in Kabul's history. Tragedy brings the two women together in an unexpected way, and they are forced to used their kindness, cleverness, and deep friendship to survive.
The novel is enriched with detailed information on Afghanistan's history and culture. Hosseini attempts to shed light on the lives of Afghan people, especially women. Khaled Hosseini has described A Thousand Splendid Suns as a "mother-daughter" story. He was inspired...