A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This novel is currently #1 on the NYTimes Best Seller List. Like Hosseini's first novel,
The Kite Runner it deals with characters in his native country of Afghanistan. This second novel is concerned with two women, Mariam and Leila, who although they are born into very different situations, form a strong bond of friendship and love when circumstances throw them together. Although Hosseini writes about another culture, the experiences of the women he has created transcend cultural differences. The real appeal of his writing is in its human relationships. Definitely worth reading.