The history of Afghanistan is a bloody affair. A country coveted and fought over by powerful neighbours, ultimately disintegrating into tribal rivalry and butchery.

A thousand splendid suns is an outstanding read and within its descriptive storytelling we become acquainted with two very brave women; Mariam and Laila. Marian is forced into a marriage with a controlling and violent man Rasheed. When she fails to produce a longed for son and heir she is immediately discarded and forced to live a life of servitude confronted each day with a violent partner, in a country unable to recognize or accept the role and importance of women in its society.

When Laila enters this turbulent household, as an additional wife, she is forced to accept the tyrannical rule of Rasheed. Through all this pain Mariam and Laila form an unlikely friendship, a deep bond develops, and an outcome that is sad, happy and brutal in its execution.

A wonderful story,  a tough read and in its realism the reader has a glimpse of everyday life in a war-torn community. It ends with a message of hope, and the ultimate belief that love has the ability to conquer all.

When I read The Kite Runner about five years ago, I thought the experience was like watching a beautifully described train wreck. I could clearly see where the engine was going to leave the tracks, and then I could not look away as car after car piled up after it. Slam! Crash! Boom! Tragedy after calamity after indignity. Before I knew it, my reader’s heart was crushed and burning in the rubble.

Apparently this is a pattern with Hosseini’s books, because here I am again.

I would say, though, that this train wreck was even more exquisitely agonizing than the last one. I’m glad Hosseini’s not very prolific. My soul can’t take this kind of stomping on a regular basis.

Khaled Hosseini is a consummate story-teller and following the impact of his first novel - 'The Kite Runner' - his second was always likely to be awaited with bated breath. But, while there are plenty of examples of seminal music albums that have disappointing follow-ups, or movie sequels that never quite reach the highpoint of the original, in this book Hosseini cements his reputation as a genuinely gifted writer.

Once again set in Afghanistan, this story focuses on the respective journeys of two women - Mariam and Laila - and the dissection of the book into four parts helpfully describes their individual experiences, before interweaving their lives within the context of war-locked Kabul and a hinterland dominated by armed factions. Seen through the eyes of these women, this book also offers a powerful critique of a social structure, which layers disadvantage based on gender, wealth, religion, tribe, marriage,birth, language, disability, etc. The domestic violence, which they experience at the hands of their husband (Rasheed), is brutal and possible in the absence of protection for the vulnerable and a paternalistic culture which seems to regard women and children as chattels. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, the antidote to such systematic hardship proved to be the indomitable human spirit and the innate capacity for reciprocal love.

Almost in spite of the dire consequences of the soviet invasion and the transition to the equally destructive Taliban rule and its subsequent demise, the period covered by the book, Hosseini has managed to extricate a wonderfully uplifting tale of love in diverse forms. Positive and negative attachments to parents, the powerful but not universal instinct to protect children, as well as the strength of selfless romantic love, as distinct from pragmatic survival mechanisms, conjures up some challenging moral dilemmas for the reader. Moreover, the sisterly bonding of Mariam and Laila in an unspoken connection of damaged souls is arguably the most touching of all.

Amid the physical war damage and emotional carnage, the author nonetheless manages to eke out a testament to human resilience and deep-rooted optimism. However, it is the strength and resolve of the central female characters that offer most pride in the human virtues on show. My favourite quote from the book follows the mourning of Laila's brothers, when the character perceives a hierarchy in her mother's affections, "....Mammy's heart was like a pallid beach where Laila's footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed.Swelled and crashed." In the final analysis, Laila's courage was every bit as worthy of her mother's reverence.

On reflection, I believe one of the most engaging factors for the reader steeped in western culture is the apparent difference in certain values, most notably in respect of women (though notably feminists would argue there is still a way to go), but also, reassuringly, common humane principles that derive from the respective civilizations. The 'otherness' is a seductive curiosity, however, it should not be overstated, for as Hosseini demonstrates, our aspirations are remarkably similar.

I was aware of the hype around Hosseini (despite not having read Kite Runner) and was worried that it would be impossible for 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' to live up to my expectations. I needn't have worried. A masterpiece.