Michael

A Thousand Splendid Suns  By: Michael Kopach

__About the Book__  //A Thousand Splendid Suns// was written by Khaled Hosseini, and it was published in 2007. The book takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan. This book explores the lives of two womem, Mariam and Laila, who become tangled in a country of warfare. These two women have to overcome what warfare has done to the country in order to pursue better lives.

__About the Author__ Khaled Hosseini was born in 1965 in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. His father's occupation was a diplomat at a foreign ministry, and his mother was a teacher at a large high school in Kabul. In 1984, he enrolled at Santa Clara University, and this is where he earned his degree in biology. He then entered the California-San Diego's school of medicine, where he earned his medical degree here in 1993. He began writing //The Kite Runner// in 2001, while at medical school, and it was later published in 2003. This book became an international best seller. //A Thousand Splendid Suns// is his second book, and has been published in 60 countries. Both of these books were rewared with [|New York Times Best Sellers]. Critics believe that Hosseini's books appeal to the emotions in various ways, and show the true reality of women in Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini gives snapshots of Afghanistan and valuable information in both of his books.

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍__Characters and Conflict__  The main characters of the book are Mariam, Laila, and Rasheed. The book revolves mainly around these two women and their husband, Rasheed. The main conflict of the story is that war and catastrophic ‍‍events can destroy a country greatly and can put the country in great turmoil. Women are seen as a lower class of citizen compared to men, due to the events of war. Mariam and Laila have to fight back against Rasheed treating them as inferior, and try to improve their lives because of it.

__Theme__  The bonding of various people with similar views can overcome insurmountable feats.

__Review__ //A Thousand Splendid Suns// is an emotionally appealing book that will definitely change someone's view of life after reading. Two young women named Mariam and Laila both have to struggle with the mistreatment in their lives, and strive towards an improved life compared to their previous ones. Mariam and Laila go through their whole life trying to better their own lives. Khaled Hosseini gives snapshots of the true side of a woman's life in Afghanistan. Hosseini is very appealing in his writing, and distinctively effects the emotions with the use of an ominous tone. Hosseini always keeps the surprises coming so it is almost impossible to predict what is coming next. //A Thousand Splendid Suns// is a very powerful book that will change the way people see things after they are done reading it.

__Anaylsis of Style__ Khaled Hosseini uses the senses of powerful emotions to connect to his readers, and writes in a straight ahead style. He also uses a competent style to capture what life is really like. Hosseini always incorporates twists into the story, which always gives the reader something to process and make a conclusion on the reading. Hosseini shows the true reality of life through his various style elements, which gives readers a chance to reflect on what they have read.

"He succeeds in making the emotional reality of Mariam and Laila's lives tangible to us, and by conjuring their day-to-day routines, he is able to give us a sense of what daily life was like in Kabul." (Kakutani)

"Hosseini's bewitching narrative captures the intimate details of life in a world where it's a struggle to survive, skillfully inserting this human story into the larger backdrop of recent history." (Foster)

“Mariam lay on the couch, hands tucked between her knees, watched the whirlpool of snow twisting and spinning outside the window. She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how people like us suffer, she'd said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us.” (Hosseini 256)

“Laila watches Mariam glue strands of yarn onto her doll's head. In a few years, this little girl will be a woman who will make small demands on life, who will never burden others, who will never let on that she too had sorrows, disappointments, dreams that have been ridiculed. A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her. Already Laila sees something behind this young girl's eyes, something deep in her core, that neither Rasheed nor the Taliban will be able to break. something as hard and unyielding as a block of limestone. Something that, in the end, will be her undoing and Laila's salvation." (Hosseini 401)

Works Cited

Foster, Julie. “Women’s fates entwine as Afghanistan spirals into war.” //SFGate//. San Francisco Chronicle, 20 May 2007. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.

Kakutani, Michiko. “ A Woman’s Lot in Kabul, Lower than a House Cat’s.” //The New York Times //. New York Times, 29 May 2007. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.

Hosseini, Khaled. //A Thousand Splendid Suns.// New York. Riverhead, 2007. Print.