A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS – WITH DARK PATCHES IN THE MIDDLE!

The first request that I got after I started doing book reviews was for the review of “A Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. This first-time author impressed me so much that I couldn’t stop raving about the story, the characters that the review became very close to a spoiler alert. The first thought that I had after I finished reading his second book “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is that this review is going to be very difficult because the author has brought another achingly beautiful masterpiece. I take the pleasure of sharing this book’s review with my fellow bookmaniacs , this week on bookshelf.

PLOT

The plot is very simple, and I am going to try and restrain myself from going into details. It talks about the pre and post-war scenario in the different provinces of Afghanistan through the eyes of two young girls (Mariam and Laila) who are forced to grow up and face the ugly task of being a woman in the oppressed nation of Afghanistan. While the war outside, on the streets, is hellish enough for anybody to have nightmares even with their eyes open, life inside the four walls is no less nightmarish for the ladies. So, what happens? Do they bow down and accept it as fate or is there a chance that they can have a new beginning, a new life where they not only survive but can also live? is what forms the plot. 

STYLE

As mentioned above, the narrative is in such a way that the primary focus is on the ladies of the story, Mariam and Laila. The narration itself is very crisp, clean without wandering very far away from the main storyline. Even small meanderings make sense when the book is nearing its end. It all ties so beautifully, effortlessly that even though it is not a happy-ever-after kind of story, you will close the book with a strange sense of contentment and optimism in your heart. The descriptions of even small incidents, non-descript places are also done with such utmost care that the whole of Afghan with its quaint, little provinces and the ultra modern city of Kabul comes alive in your imagination. Mr. Hosseini is indeed a very talented painter who makes his beloved homeland come to life with every stroke of his pen.

CHARACTERS

At the risk of sounding like a star-struck kid, I just want to point out that all the characters in this book from the sweet-but-weak willed Jalil, (Mariam’s father) to the Disgusting male-chauvinist pig Rasheed (Mariam and Laila’s husband), they are so impeccably established, that you have almost real-life emotions towards them, they are so easily relatable. Mariam and Laila’s characters are a soulful tribute to the millions of Burqa-clad women walking down the dusty streets of Kabul. They are sweet, young with such a high resilience that nothing breaks them down. They keep getting up, ready to face the next blow and find happiness and comfort in small rituals and recognitions. But, a personal favorite for me would be Laila’s father Hakim, the dreamer who recognized the downfall of Afghan even before time but still struggled to give his daughter a sense of heritage of the un-polluted Afghan. His soft nature coupled with his love for his wife and daughter makes him one of the most lovable characters in this book.

VERDICT

If you liked A Kite Runner, you would love this book. Even if you haven’t read A Kite Runner , this book is a must read because Khaled has matured in his thinking, writing and his love for his homeland is all the more powerful in this. This books speaks of times that changed, telling us while everything around us can change in a second, it is the power within us that can lead us towards survival and ultimately happiness.

-Wanna-be-Savant