A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Review by Anoushka S.
In a small hut outside of Herat, Afghanistan lived thirteen-year-old Mariam. Her father was a rich man with four wives, while her mother was a housekeeper — that was, until, her belly began to swell. Mariam is a harami — a child born out of wedlock. Eager to prove herself as more than a simple village girl, Mariam yearns for an opportunity at education in the 1960s. Meanwhile, in 1990s Kabul, 14-year-old Laila must juggle between her responsibilities to her family and her romance with childhood friend Tariq. However, both of these girls’ freedoms are snatched away from them when unexpected events change the course of their lives forever. A Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of two women whose stories intertwine with one another when they are both pressured to marry the same shoemaker, all the while thirty years of Afghanistani history unfolds.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a tragic, heart-breaking story that depicts the struggles of women in the Middle East. The book discusses heavy topics such as child marriage, teenage pregnancy, times of war, sexism, and abuse. Mariam and Laila must navigate through the obstacles that come with marriage to an abusive husband. Khaled Hosseini explores the feeling of being “trapped” that many women in the Middle East must go through due to the lack of equal rights. He also explores themes of women’s abilities to make choices being stripped and reinstated. Hosseini switches between different points-of-views and sections of the timeline in order to foreshadow future events and add suspense to the plot. The book is successful at instilling fear and stress into the reader as they hope for Mariam and Laila’s happiness.
This book would be very appealing to those who are curious to read historical stories that discuss the lives of the everyday person. Similar to The Book Thief, both books show how historical events and corrupted governments have a profound impact on civilians. This book is also similar to All The Light We Cannot See, in which the pair of protagonists each have their own unique, well-developed storylines before they are destined to meet. Khaled Hosseini has also written other books about Afghanistan, such as The Kite Runner. I recommend the book to anyone who is curious about Afghanistan’s history and is interested in seeing the conflict in the Middle East through another pair of eyes.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the most emotional and impactful books I have ever read. It took only a few chapters until I was fully encapsulated in the stories of Mariam and Laila. While I normally do not hold much emotional attachment to characters or their books, Hosseini develops both characters so beautifully it is hard not to yearn strongly for these two characters to have their happy ending. One thing that stood out to me was how harsh and real Hosseini’s storytelling was. He does not hold back from the dark reality of the situation, nor does he give the characters an easy way out.
All in all, I would rate this book a 10/10. Those who can enjoy historical fiction and can tolerate serious topics like abuse are best-suited for reading this book.