Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns

Praise for A Thousand Splendid Suns:

A beautifully crafted and disturbing story... As unforgettable as The Kite Runner, this novel places us in Afghanistan with an open heart Isabel Allende

Only the hardest of hearts could fail to be moved Glamour

I loved this book I couldnt put it down and read it in one sitting Fiona Bruce

An energetic and thought-provoking read Literary Review

Hosseini proves his credentials as a superstar storyteller... No one reading this book can fail to be captivated

Mariella Frostrup

Few contemporary novelists have his ability to fashion a narrative which portrays so compellingly the terrible realities of war and suffering and yet which also provides convincing glimpses of the possibility of redemption and salvation WaterstonesBooksQuarterly

Hosseini has that rare thing, a Dickensian knack for storytelling. He excels at writing suspenseful epics filled with compelling characters Daily Telegraph

Heartbreaking Eve

A gripping tale of physical and psychological violence, of extremes of hope and despair Daily Mail

A harrowing yet ultimately uplifting story of endurance and love Woman & Home

Four decades of turmoil and disintegration in Afghanistan, a masterful narrative and astonishing stories of personal devastation and survival ... He is a storyteller of dizzying power Evening Standard

A heartfelt saga that encompasses romance and melodrama, personal and political intrigue, the onslaught of war and dispossession Independent

Moving and real, it brings home the indignities of war and oppression without allowing the characters to lose their human face Image

Hosseini writes beautifully and is a natural storyteller Spectator

Another searing epic ... a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters Publishers Weekly

Just in case youre wondering whether Khaled Hosseinis AThousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, heres the answer: No. Its better Washington Post Book World

Hosseini has done it again ... A Thousand Splendid Suns is a triumph. In Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan has at last found a voice Financial Times

Unimaginably tragic, Hosseinis magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength Booklist

Impossible to resist Entertainment Weekly

The story pounds along at such a pace, it threatens to leap from the page ... hugely impressive Metro

Its the soul-stirring connection between two victimized women that gives this novel its battered heart People

Hosseini shows us that each all-enveloping burqa contains a human being Tatler Great Reads of 2007

What keeps this novel vivid and compelling are Hosseinis eye for the textures of daily life and his ability to portray a full range of human emotions Los Angeles Times

Another unforgettable read Daily Express Great Holiday Reads

Inspiring and heart-wrenching Family Circle

Love may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you consider the war-ravaged landscape of Afghanistan. But that is the emotion subterranean, powerful, beautiful, illicit and infinitely patient that suffuses the pages O, the Oprah Magazine

Absolutely read it More

The story of the sacrifices necessary to sustain hope and joy, and the power of love to overcome fear. Splendid indeed NewYork Daily News

Hosseini has an extraordinary storytelling ability ... you would want to be a statue not to be moved by this story IrishIndependent

The hope is this: Despite the unjust cruelties of our world, the heroines of A Thousand Splendid Suns do endure, both on the page and in our imagination Miami Herald

Just as heartrending, just as powerful Evening Standard Books to Brighten Up Your Summer

You will find yourself unable to break from the narrative, gasping as you turn the page, weeping at the predicament of Mariam and Laila ... powerful and moving Good Book Guide

A riveting read Financial Times Summer Books

A novel that bears testament to the power of love ... deeply moving Sunday Express

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

The Kite Runner

A THOUSAND
SPLENDID SUNS

Khaled Hosseini

BLOOMSBURY

First published in Great Britain 2007
Copyright 2007 by Khaled Hosseini
This electronic edition published 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
The right of Khaled Hossini to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4088-0373-8
www.bloomsbury.com/khaledhosseini
Visit www.bloomsbury.com to find out more about our authors and their books. You will find extracts, authors interviews, author events and you can sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers.

This book is dedicated to Haris and Farah, both the noor of my eyes, and to the women of Afghanistan.

Contents

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

M ariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami.

It happened on a Thursday. It must have, because Mariam remembered that she had been restless and preoccupied that day, the way she was only on Thursdays, the day when Jalil visited her at the kolba. To pass the time until the moment that she would see him at last, crossing the knee-high grass in the clearing and waving, Mariam had climbed a chair and taken down her mothers Chinese tea set. The tea set was the sole relic that Mariams mother, Nana, had of her own mother, who had died when Nana was two. Nana cherished each blue-and-white porcelain piece, the graceful curve of the pots spout, the hand-painted finches and chrysanthemums, the dragon on the sugar bowl, meant to ward off evil.

It was this last piece that slipped from Mariams fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of the kolba and shattered.

When Nana saw the bowl, her face flushed red and her upper lip shivered, and her eyes, both the lazy one and the good, settled on Mariam in a flat, unblinking way. Nana looked so mad that Mariam feared the jinn would enter her mothers body again. But the jinn didnt come, not that time. Instead, Nana grabbed Mariam by the wrists, pulled her close, and, through gritted teeth, said, You are a clumsy little harami. This is my reward for everything Ive endured. An heirloom-breaking, clumsy little harami.

At the time, Mariam did not understand. She did not know what this word