This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you are a woman especially it is an important novel to read.  

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a 2007 novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. It is his second, following his bestselling 2003 debut, The Kite Runner. The book spans a period of over fifty years, from the 1960s to 2003,and focuses on the tumultuous lives and relationships of two Afghan women. Mariam is an illegitimate child, and suffers from both the stigma surrounding her birth along with the abuse she faces throughout her marriage. Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal from Rasheed, Mariam's husband.