Introducing Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Sun"

Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini follows up his bestselling The Kite Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal as she fails to produce a child. Eighteen later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl whose only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation.

Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed, whose violent misogyny—"There was no cursing, no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten"—is endorsed by custom and law. Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters.

Here are a few sample comments from Khaled's blog:

When I was reading "the kiterunner" my 8 year old son asked me what I was reading. Hmmm.. what do you answer a child of that age? I decided to tell him about the part where the Father tells Amir that the worst sin is stealing - the parent of all sins. We talked about that and as the very bright child he is, he thought a lot about it. A couple of days later his teacher told me about an episode earlier the same day. My son and another boy from his class were talking and having fun in the classroom. She asked them to keep quiet...and had to ask a couple of times before she caught their attention. My son looked at her and said with a serious voice "you know that the worst sin is stealing and right now you are stealing our right to behave childish...." She told me that she found it very hard to make a fast come-back on thatone, mainly because she had a hard time holding back laughter... Carefull of what you tell your children :o) Need I say that we had a little mother-son talk that evening

I first saw you on C-span Book TV a few weeks ago and decided that minute to buy both of your books which I did 5 days ago. I gave Kite Runner to my daughter to read first and I chose to read A Thousand Splendid Suns. Today, 5 days later, we have finished our respective novels and exchanged one for the other, both of us eager to read the other one.
As I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns I prayed for the Taliban to be somehow swept off the face of the earth forever. I gave thanks I live as a free woman in America. You have captured the very essence of love and courage in this book. And, this may sound rather strange, but I even found myself wanting to taste some of the foods the characters ate, foods which I've never tasted but seemed quite appealing.
My God bless these people of Afghanistan and give them some peace at long last.
Khaled Hosseini's website

Watch him introduce his book here.
My blogger friend Frieda had a good fortune of meeting him in person.