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Why Should You Read A Thousand Splendid Suns - Book Review

Updated on November 14, 2018
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Zumina is a graduate in Health Promotion and a certified counselor. Writing is her passion.

Book: A THOSAND SPLENDID SUNS

Publication date: May 22,2007

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Parts: 4

Chapters: 51

Genre: Novel,Fiction

Introduction

One of the masterpieces of the Author KHALED HOSSEINI, who is also the author of the international bestseller THE KITE RUNNER.

KHALED HOSSEINI is born in Kabul, Afghanistan. His other work Include THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED and the fans eagerly wait for the novel THE SEA PRAYER.

Part one of A Thousand Splendid Suns describes the world of Mariam as a fifteen year old girl. Mariam who is defined as a “harami” (illegitimate child) throughout the story. Mariam’s mother Nana accuses Mariam of being a harami and in Mariam’s words “that it was an ugly, loathsome thing to be a harami, like an insect, like the scurrying cockroaches Nana was always cursing and sweeping out of the kolba”.

Mariam has dreams and wishes to pursue. Simply to go outside the little kolba made of mud and to see the “green wheat field of Herat, the orchards, the vines pregnant with plump grapes, and the City’s crowded, vulture bazaars”. She also yearns to study as her sisters (legitimate children of her father Jalil) and to play with them. With the greatest advantage of always being with her father unlike only on Thursdays as she is used to.

Fifteen-year-old Mariam is courageous enough to leave the kolba and visit Herat all alone. Making Mariam’s heart somersault in her chest; fate throws her to the hands of a forty-five-year-old Shoemaker named Rasheed. Thereby Mariam becomes an obedient wife who isn’t, courageous enough to fight her husband.

Part two describes the story of Laila. Laila has been described as a beautiful character and the plot starts when Laila is nine years old. Laila is an educated and courageous girl who falls in Love with her friend Tariq. With some remarkable romance, the plot separates her from Tariq and brings her to Mariam as the second wife of Rasheed. Here the women experience the brutal ruling of the Taliban.

Part three of the novel is composed of chapters in which destiny brings both Mariam and Laila together. After knowing each other well; Mariam and Laila develop a bond as they often refer to outsiders as Mother and daughter. They experience Joy and contentment in their lives after the birth of Aziza and Zalmai. Laila’s daughter and son respectively. However here once again Mariam performs a courageous act by attacking Rasheed to save Laila.

And part four of the novel brings Laila the love of her life. And the sacrifice of Mariam brings light to the lives of many children.

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.

— Khaled Hosseini

My Opinion

This novel simply portrays the lives of two Afghan women who go through tragic events and endure pain as an emblem of motherhood. Khaled Hosseini lets us visualize the events by his extraordinary narrative styles.

Throughout the novel, I loved the visualization given to us by the author. The description of the cities Herat and Kabul give us a total insight into the culture, landscape and the people. During each twist in the plot, the writer just grabs the people into the very moment the event happens.

Some moments I enjoyed with a smile on the corner of my lips and some I found a teardrop in the corner of my eye. The lines which brought out Laila’s pain when she was cut open without an anaesthetic; almost made me shiver. So powerful the words were.

The plot focuses on the struggle women endure in each phase in their lives and depicts some unique qualities. Mariam’s quality of “endurance” as a mother, daughter, and wife and even as a prisoner. This made me wonder and reflected the reality that some bad incidents in life are meant to happen and how I should keep moving. The moments where the story tells about sacrifice and being courageous as a woman are praiseworthy.

The romance and true love was heartwarming. Every chapter in which the plot focused on Laila, my heart started yearning for Tariq. And when the story brings back the character “Laila stood perfectly still and looked at Tariq until her chest screamed for air and her eyes burned to blink” the plot made me convinced.

The writer further brings justice to the women by saying “to see that it is the creators of the harami who are culpable, not the harami, whose only sin is being born”. Also, he shows a spotlight on the women of the nation by bringing up the struggle faced by women to fulfil their vital needs, when the Taliban took control over.

One negative opinion of mine is that the plot holds too much information about the political background. Being not a political lover made those lines bit boring.

Behind every trial and sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason

— Khaled Hosseini

Recommendation

This is a fascinating novel that you shouldn’t miss. I can assure that you will smile, cry and end up with the feeling that you lived the life of an Afghan woman.

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© 2018 Zumina

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