Do not let a title fool you. The name of Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, might evoke memories of numerous long, beautiful days, perhaps a romance or a marvelous childhood memory. Instead, the book is the polar opposite of what its title portrays. Each page describes a horror seemingly too disconcerting to be real. The portrayal of contemporary Afghan women and their struggles against society is set against a backdrop of Afghanistan’s violent past and present. The reader senses a powerful urgency while unraveling the shocking message of the novel, an attachment to the characters and a need-to-know of the end of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The book is a powerful one, one that has already left its mark in the history of our world, as Hosseini’s message is clear throughout the piece. The reader knows that the book does not end by the closing of its cover. The book is alive, as the reader is left aware that this very story may be taking place right now, in a distant land too far from reach and yet close to all by Khaled Hosseini’s sweeping, realistic novel.