Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, published in thirty-four countries. In 2006 he was named a US goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

'In case you're wondering whether A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, here's the answer: No. It's better'

'Only the hardest of hearts could fail to be as moved'

'A masterful narrative ... He is a storyteller of dizzying power'

'Hosseini has that rare thing, a Dickensian knack for storytelling'

A riveting and powerful story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship and an indestructible love