In A Thousand Splendid Suns, we meet two characters, Laila and Mariam. The book is divided into 4 parts. It starts off with Mariam’s perspective on being an illegitimate teenager from Herat whose life falls apart when the death of her mother occurs. She admires her father but soon that also crashes as she is forced into marrying an older man, a shoemaker from Kabul, by her father. In Kabul, Mariam is held to a very high standard which leads to her not being able to show herself or speak for herself. A generation later, Laila is born into one of Mariam’s neighbors' families. In a communist country, Laila and her family are seen as outsiders as she prioritizes education and respect. Laila grows up and soon loses her brothers which leads her family into a depression. In her teenage years, as communism progresses, Laila’s family decides to move only to end up getting hit by rockets and dying. Laila is welcomed into Mariam’s house and soon gets married to Mariam’s husband, Rasheed. Laila and Mariam have some tension but as Laila gives birth to two children, their relationship eases. Rasheed becomes more violent and hits both his wives, this causes the two wives and children to attempt to run multiple times. After being caught, a tragedy occurs in the house and Rasheed is hit to death. Mariam takes the blame and is taken to court for her execution while Laila escapes the country with her children to meet her love.
In my opinion, this was an astounding book, ten out of ten stars. After reading this book, I recommended it to everyone who read books. I felt like it really changed my perspective on women mainly. This book will surely leave the readers feeling a different type of way. Coming from a refugee background, I can really relate to these women who had to flee their country and what they had to go through. Especially with the Taliban taking over the country, it’s important to learn about how the women are being treated and how they feel towards their country, all women have different opinions and this book will surely show two different women with the same goal.