Many people have some knowledge about the history of Afghanistan. Many would have seen in the news the horrific tragedies that women in the country have faced, either because of war, famine, or Taliban rule. However, not many of us can truly understand what it would be like to experience such a situation. With Khaled Hosseini’s book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” we get a peek into the lives of the women living in Afghanistan, detailing the firsthand struggles that they are forced to deal with on an almost daily basis. The book is a part of the English 2 curriculum here at Parkway West, and was on the “New York Times Paperback Fiction Best Sellers” list for twenty-one weeks. 

The book follows the lives of Mariam and Laila, two girls from different generations in Afghanistan who come together through their marriage to Rasheed, an abusive husband. Both girls are forced to deal with the grief that comes with their parents’ deaths: Mariam’s mother dying from suicide, and Laila’s parents dying from a missile strike on Laila’s house. Overall, the book details the harsh reality of women living in the crossfire of war and the trauma that they are forced to deal with. The book portrays vital and long-lasting connections to our lives in the US,  which is why I thought it was important to provide a review of the novel and analyze the impact it has had on the West High students who’ve read the book.

Hosseni does an impressive job of teaching the history of Afghanistan throughout the book. Throughout its turbulent history, changes to government and ever-present warfare have characterized life in the country. To understand how the lives of these characters would be affected, along with the millions of real-life men and women they represent, it’s critical to know the historical conflicts they face. Hosseni offers crucial background information on the various political conflicts throughout the book that readers might lack understanding of. For example, many people know that Afghanistan has been under Taliban control for many years, but there aren’t many people who know that Afghanistan was under Soviet control before that. The historical context that Khaled Hosseini provides allows the reader to understand the complex events in the book without being an expert on Afghan history. 

Additionally, the character Rasheed is a fundamental example of how men all over the world abuse their spouses in less developed countries such as Afghanistan. There is, to this day, no law in Afghanistan preventing the sexual abuse or rape of women. There is a quote in the book that does an excellent job of summarizing this conflict. After Mariam and Laila make a failed attempt to run away from Rasheed, Laila pleads with an official not to send her back, arguing that Rasheed would abuse her and Mariam if they were to return. The official responds by saying, “What happens in a man’s house is a man’s business.” In the real world, countless women have suffered and continue to suffer today because government officials choose to turn a blind eye to what happens behind closed doors.. 

Mistreatment of women has been a serious problem in Afghanistan for many years because of the strict approach to Islam and exact interpretation of Sharia, a religious code that Muslims follow, derived from the Quran, which the Taliban has followed. While many Americans have most likely heard of the horrors that women face under Taliban rule, few truly understand their full extent. The treatment of the two characters, Mariam and Laila, by the Taliban and their husband, Rasheed, is outright horrifying. Rasheed rapes, beats and assaults his wives, refuses to give an infant water for about two days, threatens to murder his own children and worst of all, acts within the constraints of the law when doing so.

The very real-life struggles of the characters in this book cause readers to reflect on the privileges that they take for granted in their own lives. For example, it is required by law in the US to acquire some sort of education. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, girls like Mariam often never get the chance to receive an education. When Mariam asked Nana if she could get an education, she was immediately shot down. In the US, it’s unimaginable that children are denied the right to education. High schoolers in the US often take their education for granted, and it is only when they realize that others in the world are not given this privilege that they understand how truly lucky they are. As a result, the book challenges misconstrued perceptions of life in Afghanistan and teaches us that there is often more than meets the eye. 

However, my main criticism of the book is the lack of character depth that Hosseini gives to Rasheed. As the main antagonist in the book, Hosseini doesn’t do an effective job of giving Rasheed the complexities that he gives characters such as Mariam and Laila. We don’t know much about him, and therefore, the behavior he shows can be perplexing at times. The lack of information on Rasheed doesn’t allow the reader to properly analyze his actions. What makes this understanding so vital is the group of people that Rasheed represents in real life: rigidly hierarchical men who strongly believe they are naturally superior to women. By better understanding Rasheed, we can improve our knowledge of this group of people.

In addition, some of the scenes in this book can be disturbing to some readers because of how realistic the violent depictions are. Subsequently, Bookseller Barnes and Noble has set the suggested age range for A Thousand Splendid Suns at 18+. The book requires a high level of maturity to deal with strong themes such as rape and violence. Further, there are long, drawn-out parts of the book that can be particularly upsetting and are occasionally difficult to read. I often found my mood dampened after I finished some of the more serious parts of the book. So, although this book is a required read for sophomores, the mature themes and serious discussion of topics often deemed taboo make it a poignant read for high schoolers and adults alike.

Overall, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a must-read. The book provides a new perspective on previously Westernized perceptions of life in Afghanistan, thanks to the inside viewpoint that Hoesseni provides. The life lessons that the books teach are vitally important and relevant to the daily lives of high schoolers.  It was probably one of the best compositions I’ve read in the school curriculum, and I would rate Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns” a 9/10.