A Thousand Splendid Suns

Final Thoughts from my notes:

I'm kinda on the fence about this one, because there were times when the book felt difficult to read. I remember reading it when I was in high school and the story sat with me for years and years, which made me want to pick it up again when I saw it sitting on the shelf at my local Savers. I wandered into the book aisle and looked at what sat on the shelves — hoping to find this book, which was a required reading for my English class at my high school.

I found this book and Hosseini's “Kite Runner,” which I never read but always wanted to after reading this book.

Now during my reread, I still found myself mad at the same characters. I also liked the themes of grief, love, war and the way it affects civilians, the history of Kabul and Afghanistan. A collective grief — there was a scene/lines that really stuck with me, especially this one:

“'I'm sorry,' Laila says, marveling at how every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on.” (p.350)