A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini continues to aggravate the human senses in his recent novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Similar to The Kite Runner in its Middle Eastern location of Afghanistan, this text frustrates the reader, in a compelling way, by creating the most tragic situations for its leading characters, Mariam and Leila. Mariam is a young Afghan woman whose controversial birth has shadowed her throughout her upbringing. She is constantly reminded of her inferiority by her mother, who fears that her daughter will bloom a strong attachment to her wealthy father. Mariam later moves into her father's home with his three wives and their many children, but she is quickly perceived to be a burden to the household. Her father marries her off to Rasheed the shoemaker, which is only the beginning of many horrendous events to come.
Leila is the daughter of a scholarly couple who happened to provide for her a very privileged childhood. She is the beauty among the townspeople and has captured the desire of her best friend, Tariq. However, when the Taliban begin to corrupt the streets of Kabul, Tariq and his family are forced to find security within Pakistan's borders. Leila soon inhabits Rasheed's home with Mariam, which provokes Mariam's jealousy of her many perfections.
Mariam is disgusted and angered by Leila's actions, but Leila needs the guidance of Mariam in order to endure the difficult path that she has woven for herself. They need to form some kind of understanding in order to survive the harsh reality that is Afghanistan.
If you want an extremely thought-provoking read with numerous accounts of your emotional strings being pulled at, then I highly suggest that you read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The reader has no choice but to succumb to his tear-jerking style of writing and to the hidden truth of Afghanistan's history.