Author - Khaled Hosseini
Genre - Domestic Fiction
Pages - 384
Year of Release - 2007
Rating - 5/5
“A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing. It is not like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed. It won’t expand to make room for you.”
A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel of Khaled Hosseini. It is a well-known book based on the life of the people in Afghanistan when the soviets invaded the country and the Taliban took control of the country. A time of war enraging in the entire nation.
The book is about the women and the sufferings they endure and the motherly love they bestow on their children, regardless of everything.
The story revolves around Mariam who is branded a Harami, an illegitimate child at the tender age of five. She is constantly reminded that she was a mistake. She lives with her mother on the outskirts of Herat. She is always reminded that she was not supposed to be born by her own mother, bittered due to the injustice of life. Mariam was like any other girl, eager to learn and study the ways of life but couldn’t. She always thrived to be accepted and appreciated by the people around her. Ultimately she is married off at the age of 15 to Rasheed.
Another major character is Laila. Born in a family of a modern father and a sour mother whose love is snatched from her when her two brothers are sent off to war. Her family is ripped apart when her brothers die fighting in the war. Soon after she is orphaned and the circumstances take an evil turn. With nowhere to go, she is married to Rasheed, forced to lead a miserable life with a man more than 20 years senior to her.
The book showcases the relationship between Mariam and Laila and their fight to stay strong in an unjust world. The book explores the relationship between a mother and a daughter and the bond they share beyond the norms of the society, beyond the relations of blood.
The book is a real tearjerker and won’t let you put it down easily. You will cry your heart out yet the story will enlighten you. It is indeed splendidly written.
Lots of love,
Arunima x
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