The novel's two protagonists, Mariam and Laila, come of age in vastly different eras. Mariam's early life in the 1960s and 70s unfolds in a relatively peaceful Afghanistan, though one still deeply constrained by traditional gender roles. Laila's childhood in the 1980s and 90s is marked by increasing instability and violence as rival factions battle for control of Kabul. Their stories converge in the mid-1990s as the Taliban imposes its harsh interpretation of Islamic law on the city.

Throughout the narrative, Hosseini vividly portrays Kabul's transformation from a cosmopolitan city to a war-torn landscape. He takes readers from the bustling shops of Shar-e-Nau to the Soviet-built microrayon apartment blocks and the mud-walled homes of poorer neighborhoods. This shifting urban terrain serves as more than mere backdrop—it becomes a character in its own right, shaping and constraining the lives of Mariam, Laila, and countless other Afghans as they struggle to survive in a city under siege.

Characters

• Mariam: An illegitimate child born in Herat in 1959. She is forced to marry the abusive Rasheed at age 15 and becomes a mother figure to Laila. 

• Laila: Born in Kabul in 1978 to educated parents. Marries Rasheed after her parents are killed, becomes close with Mariam, and has two children. Later marries her childhood love, Tariq.

• Rasheed: An abusive shoemaker who marries both Mariam and Laila. Cruel and misogynistic, though he dotes on his son Zalmai. 

• Tariq: Laila's childhood friend and love interest. Loses a leg to a landmine as a child. Reunites with Laila after years apart and marries her after Rasheed's death.

• Nana: Mariam's bitter, mentally ill mother who commits suicide when Mariam leaves to find her father, Jalil.

• Jalil: Mariam's father, a wealthy businessman who rejects her as an illegitimate child. He later regrets his actions toward Mariam.

• Hakim: Laila's progressive, educated father who encourages her schooling. Killed in a rocket attack with his wife Fariba.

• Fariba: Laila's mother, who becomes depressed after her sons die fighting the Soviets. Neglects Laila and is killed alongside Hakim.

• Aziza: Laila and Tariq's daughter, born while Laila is married to Rasheed. Briefly sent to an orphanage during a famine.

Zalmai: Laila and Rasheed's son, who idolizes his abusive father. Eventually accepts Tariq as a father figure.

Quick facts

• The novel’s title comes from a 17th-century poem by Saib Tabrizi about Kabul, which refers to “a thousand splendid suns” hiding behind the city's walls.

• Khaled Hosseini was inspired to write about Afghan women after seeing burqa-clad women begging on the streets of Kabul during a 2003 visit.

• The novel spans nearly 45 years of Afghan history, from the 1960s to 2003.

• Hosseini had to rewrite the manuscript five times before it was complete.

• The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller for 15 weeks after its release in 2007.

• A Thousand Splendid Suns sold more than one million copies in its first week of publication.

• The story is told from the perspectives of two women, Mariam and Laila, born a generation apart.

• Hosseini considers it a “mother-daughter story” in contrast to his first novel The Kite Runner, which he saw as a “father-son story."

• Columbia Pictures purchased the film rights in 2007, but as of 2022 the movie remains unproduced.

• The first theatrical adaptation of A Thousand Splendid Suns premiered in San Francisco in 2017, and an opera version debuted in 2023.

About the Author

Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American novelist and former physician who has become one of the most widely read authors in the world. His debut novel The Kite Runner (2003) became an international bestseller and launched his literary career. His subsequent novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) and And the Mountains Echoed (2013), were also critical and commercial successes. All of Hosseini's novels are at least partially set in Afghanistan and feature Afghan protagonists, drawing on his heritage to provide insight into the country's history, culture, and the challenges faced by its people.

Born in Kabul in 1965, Hosseini spent his early years in Afghanistan and briefly in Iran before his family sought asylum in the United States in 1980. He went on to study biology and medicine, practicing as a doctor for more than a decade before dedicating himself to writing full-time.

Beyond his literary achievements, Hosseini is deeply committed to humanitarian work. He serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and founded The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, which provides assistance to people in Afghanistan. His experiences visiting Afghanistan as an adult, decades after leaving as a child, have informed both his writing and his philanthropic efforts. Now making his home in Northern California with his family, Hosseini continues to write and advocate for refugees, using his platform to raise awareness and provide support for those in need.