Mariam, the protagonist of the book takes you through various aspects under life in Afghanistan that a teenage girl faces: violence, trauma and negelcance on a journey from her childhood to adulthood (which include her careless family and abusive husband). Readers are able to recognise that from being abandoned and getting married at a very young age, life is hard and complicated, and the thought of 'how will she possibly survive?' sticks with us through Mariam's journey for happiness and encourages us to be attached to Mariam's fictional depiction to continue reading her story.
In addition, the novel has recieved high ratings from newspapers like Finacial times, who have described 'A thousand splendid suns' as a ''triumph'', continuing to add that ''in Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan has at last found a voice.'' Other newspapers have also emphaised their foundness for the novel, with the Daily Mail also calling the novel a ''gripping tale'' and ''a powerful portrait of female suffering and endurance under the Taliban.'' This has caused more than a million copies of the novel to be sold in the US and more than 38 million copies worldwide making it a successful story.
A-level student Aniza Begum at CNI sixthform college allowed me to interview through the phone, where she also along with other high ratings, stressed her fondness of book, describing how ''it was deeply moving and highly impactful. It made me look at my life from a completetly different angle, making me thankful for everything I have.'', continuing to say ''the character of Mariam in particular inspires me because she made the greatest sacrifice of giving up her own life to protect and free those dear to her. She is such a powerful example of the strength of women as well as the suffering of women in countries of war.'' She also mentioned how she'd read other books by Hosseini like 'Kite Runner' and 'The mountains echoched', giving her the impression that he's ''introspective and a thoughtful writer rooted in his native country of Afghanistan. His writting demonstrates his deep connection to his birthplace through various characters that come to embody various facets of Afgani life.''
Hosseni was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and now lives in northern California. Although he is a writer, he is also a goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN refugee Agency. The Khaled Hosseini Foundation is founded by him, which is a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assiatance to the people of Afghanistan. His novels, which are focused on Afghanistan mainly, help give the people a voice to across millions of readers across the world, learning about the war, injustice and sufferings the people of Afghanistan have endured over the years.
