A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, has written a majestic, sweeping, and emotionally powerful story that provides the reader with a most telling window into Afghan society over the past thirty-odd years. It's also a moving story of friendship and sacrifice, giving Western readers a rare glimpse into the suffering and mistreatment of Afghan women that began long before the Taliban came to power. All things considered, following up on a successful first novel is probably harder than coming up with the original effort and Hosseini could have rested on his laurels in the manner of Harper Lee, but as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" amply proves, this native of Kabul has more stories to tell about the land of Afghanistan. This engrossing read, with its richly descriptive prose, could likely be remembered as one of 2007's best novels.