This month’s book review is late. Even though I finished reading Khaled Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ some time back, I never got around to reviewing it. But that does not mean that the book is not interesting enough. Rather, it had me captivated from the start to the end. The blend of Afghan words in the narration is very natural and the detailed description of the scenarios paints a clear picture in the mind. It effortlessly transports the reader to Afghanistan. The book is about two women whose lives have always been determined by the men around them. Yes, the story is definitely not feminist but so is the case with the place and the period in which the story is based. Mariam is the illegitimate child of a wealthy trader who is married off to an aged widower. Her inability to conceive becomes the sore point for her husband who finds himself a younger and prettier wife. Mariam, who initially hates Laila for stealing her husband, later realizes that Laila comes with her own baggage. The prisoners of pain gradually become each other’s strength. But are they powerful enough to challenge the misogynist society and change their destiny is the big question.
The tale is set in a war backdrop. However, the emotional connect is huge. Mariam’s childhood makes you wonder who is better – a mother who prepares her child to face the harsh realities of the world by crushing her confidence or a father who lures his kid into a false sense of security by providing her momentary happiness. Both of them are wrong. I feel very sad for the children who suffer in the hands of their insensible creators. Yet, the human mind is capable of so much more. Even though Mariam enters wedlock without any love for her husband, she tries to find happiness in it. The determination inherent in women is super imposed when Laila conspires to defy the rules and own her life. The subject of domestic violence is not glossed over and handled very well. The story also deals with how political upheavals affect the citizens of a country. Although the commoners only wish for peace, the government fails to give them that. Their hopes are raised and crushed with each new governing entity. That is why I love the book’s climax where the protagonist decides to go back to her roots. Rather than being relieved to have escaped her drudgery, never to look back, she goes back to the very core and works to make the world a better place.
Honestly, I found the book upsetting and nail biting at the same time. It made me feel helpless when looking at the plight of the people involved. But then, it also made me rebellious and cheer for the protagonists to claim their right. I was so involved in the plot that I failed to notice anything else. By far, the only criticism I came across for this book is that it is too depressing and the narrative is repetitive when compared to the author’s other books. I cannot comment on the second point because I haven’t read Hosseini’s other books. However, I do not agree with the first. Some things should be shown as they are. As I turned pages, how I wished to read the book without a sense of foreboding. Every small ray of happiness put my senses on high alert. I kept dreading that something terrible was about to come. Imagine if that was your life. If you had to constantly live in fear with no hope of escape. I am so grateful to be living in a liberated society with freedom to speak, wear and do whatever I choose. Books like these make us appreciate the blessings in our life. There are no fairy godmothers to change fortunes. There are people who are actually living the life described in the book and we better sit up and take notice before we become one among them.
The tale is set in a war backdrop. However, the emotional connect is huge. Mariam’s childhood makes you wonder who is better – a mother who prepares her child to face the harsh realities of the world by crushing her confidence or a father who lures his kid into a false sense of security by providing her momentary happiness. Both of them are wrong. I feel very sad for the children who suffer in the hands of their insensible creators. Yet, the human mind is capable of so much more. Even though Mariam enters wedlock without any love for her husband, she tries to find happiness in it. The determination inherent in women is super imposed when Laila conspires to defy the rules and own her life. The subject of domestic violence is not glossed over and handled very well. The story also deals with how political upheavals affect the citizens of a country. Although the commoners only wish for peace, the government fails to give them that. Their hopes are raised and crushed with each new governing entity. That is why I love the book’s climax where the protagonist decides to go back to her roots. Rather than being relieved to have escaped her drudgery, never to look back, she goes back to the very core and works to make the world a better place.
Honestly, I found the book upsetting and nail biting at the same time. It made me feel helpless when looking at the plight of the people involved. But then, it also made me rebellious and cheer for the protagonists to claim their right. I was so involved in the plot that I failed to notice anything else. By far, the only criticism I came across for this book is that it is too depressing and the narrative is repetitive when compared to the author’s other books. I cannot comment on the second point because I haven’t read Hosseini’s other books. However, I do not agree with the first. Some things should be shown as they are. As I turned pages, how I wished to read the book without a sense of foreboding. Every small ray of happiness put my senses on high alert. I kept dreading that something terrible was about to come. Imagine if that was your life. If you had to constantly live in fear with no hope of escape. I am so grateful to be living in a liberated society with freedom to speak, wear and do whatever I choose. Books like these make us appreciate the blessings in our life. There are no fairy godmothers to change fortunes. There are people who are actually living the life described in the book and we better sit up and take notice before we become one among them.
