The author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini, was born in Kabul, Afghanistan to a diplomat father and teacher mother. In 1980, shortly after the start of the Soviet–Afghan War, the family sought political asylum in the United States and took up residence in San Jose, California. Hosseini did not return to Afghanistan until 2003.
The Afghan-American physician turned author followed his hugely popular debut novel (The Kite Runner, 2003) with a story highlighting the indomitable spirit of women living in war-torn Afghanistan. To date, all Hosseini's novels have been at least partially set in Afghanistan and has featured an Afghan as the protagonist. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
The title of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' comes from an adaptation of a 17th-century poem 'Kabul' penned by Saib-e-Tabrizi which ironically spoke of the beauty and cultural triumphs of Afghanistan.
"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."
***Plot***
The year is 1964, the setting is rural Afghanistan. Five year old Mariam spends her childhood in an isolated kolba (a mud hovel) with her embittered mother on the outskirts of the city of Herat. She eagerly awaits the weekly visits from her father Jalil whom she adores. Mariam’s illegitimate status excludes her from leading a normal and relatively privileged life as a member of Jalil’s burgeoning family in Herat. As a teenager, she desperately seeks the acceptance she desires but a devastating incident sees her married off against her will to a much older shoemaker named Rasheed. Reeling from betrayal and rejection, Mariam initially finds solace in her new life in Kabul but as time passes, she descends into a pitiful existence, subject to the whims and fancies of her orthodox and increasingly volatile husband. Her inner turmoil is mirrored by that of her world outside as Afghanistan continues to be a chessboard of power politics.
Laila is a young girl born a generation later than Mariam. Born and raised in Kabul to liberal parents, Laila is no stranger to love, freedom, education and ambition. Her happy and carefree life is made better in the company of her beloved childhood friend Tariq. But after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops, violence between the rival warlord factions erupt and begin to devastate the life of ordinary Afghans. Rockets rain on Kabul reducing homes to rubble and people to scattered bits of flesh. Mariam’s life dramatically changes when an orphaned and grievously injured Laila comes to recuperate in her house. With no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go, Laila dispiritedly becomes a part of the dour family.
Although initially at odds with each other, the two women gradually forge a bond of friendship and mutual respect. Laila’s children bring a previously unknown joy to Mariam’s life and she begins to assume the role of mother and protector. The two allies try to make the best of their wretched situation, muddling through life united against the relentless physical and emotional abuse that they are subjected to by Rasheed. But post-9/11 when the Taliban arrive, an unforeseen calamity occurs that threatens the very survival of the two women.
The price of keeping the family together requires the ultimate sacrifice….
