A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in the near history of Afghanistan. The story covers the lives of Mariam and Laila, two girls with very different childhoods whose lives intersect. This story is about sadness, grief, war, and struggle, but also about keeping hope and faith. I wanted things to get better for Mariam and Laila, and was relieved when hope came through. For pain and suffering cannot last so long that peace and happiness are forgotten, and darkness cannot outlast the light.