From the highly acclaimed author of "The Kite Runner" comes the moving and powerful "A Thousand Splendid Suns". After the overwhelming reception for his first novel Khaled Hosseini must have known that there were great expectations for his second novel, which also focussed on his homeland of Afghanistan. He did not disappoint, if anything he surpassed himself with "A Thousand Splendid Suns".

The novel explores love, friendship and loyalty in the face of violence and oppression. Mariam is the harami, or illegitimate child, of a wealthy man and a woman whose struggles with mental illness lead her to commit suicide. Upon the death of her mother Mariam, aged 15, is sent away by her father to Kabul to be married rather than embarrass his family with her presence. Mariam must learn to co-exist with her conservative husband. Meanwhile young Laila is being raised to be independent by her intellectual father and revolutionary mother. Laila's mother too suffers from mental illness. She often takes refuge at the home of her bestfriend, Tariq.

When the Taliban take over Afghanistan Mariam and Laila's lives collide. During this time of savage change and fear the two women must learn to live together in order to survive. Hosseini causes us to enter their world. We cheer at their small victories and hold our breathe awaiting a day when the women may be free.

I often fault male writers for having trouble entering the female world. Having proven that he is more than capable of recreating a world that boggles the Western mind and pulling his reader into it, Hosseini now also reveals his depths of understanding of the human spirit, male or female. His writing is smooth and flowing; beautiful and poetic yet accessible to the average reader.

This is powerful book and one that attempts to capture the beauty of Afghanistan and its women as well as the pain they have suffered. Khaled Hosseini is a true gem in the world of modern literature. I eagerly await what he will offer us next.