THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

   I have enjoyed a lot of books in my life. I have read some of those books just for entertainment, and others because I thought they could show me a lot of new things. One of my favorites was A Thousand Splendid Suns, the second and last (at the moment) novel by Khaled Hosseini. This book made me cry and feel a lot of emotions on every page.
   Khaled Hosseini was born in Afghanistan forty seven years ago, but he has lived in the United States since he was fifteen. He studied medicine and worked as a doctor for over ten years, until he wrote his first novel The Kite Runner, in 2003.


   In his novel, the Afghan author tells the stories of two unfortunate women, in a country where the revolts for achieving power are in the street every day. Mariam and Layla live in this context. They are two children with a considerable age difference and from different places, but both with a tragic story behind them. One day their paths cross and their worlds are turned upside down. In time, they´ll discover that their lives haven´t a lot of value in a place as Afghanistan, and that they need to give support to each other if they want to survive there. They have to fight together for their happiness, although it´s something difficult.
   I loved how the book was written. I could feel every emotion as mine. This novel makes you learn about human suffering and cruelty, but also about willpower and overcoming obstacles. You can´t imagine how people can suffer in countries like Afghanistan if you don´t walk in their skin, and that´s exactly what happens in this novel. You can feel in every moment almost what the characters are feeling, and you can understand why they´re doing what they´re doing. Once you start, you can´t stop reading until the end.

   In my opinion, maybe there is too much suffering in the book. You feel constant distress while you are reading, and it is so hard for people who have never felt this kind of emotion. However, it is something that has happened in other places of the world, and I think that we need to know it.
   I don´t recommend this book to people who are just looking for entertainment or having fun. This novel is much more than that. We have a lot to learn of people such as Mariam and Layla. If you are a reader who wants to know how far human suffering and cruelty are able to go, and how women can survive in these situations, you have to read this book. 


"Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.”

                        A Thousand Splendid Suns