After I finished
reading Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', I was firm on not writing
a review on it. The sole reason was because I thought I am just a nobody to
review such a classic masterpiece of a life-changing novel. However, somewhere
within the heavy pages and the deep after-thought, I decided to write one. So,
here goes my review on a book that I loved throughout. My apologies for any mistakes. I hope all of you read this book.
Introduction:
'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is the life story of two women living in Afghanistan wherein there is sustenance of war. The story is
so gripping that it becomes impossible to put the book down. In the recent
utopian, dystopian and coming-of-age novels, this work of art stands different
holding its earned importance. I loved Khaled Hosseini's writing style. He brings
out every emotion within the reader. He never leaves the reader in a state of
confusion even after not putting up the facts namely. He is an incredible and a
worthy writer.
Characters:
Mariam, Laila, Rasheed and Tariq are the main
characters. Mariam is a woman who was brought up with all the traditions and
customs. Even without education, she comes off as a girl with thought and a woman
with insight. Even after going through all the hardships humanly possible, she
still fights through her life for the love of her dear ones. She is
courageous, smart, caring and always hopeful.
Laila,
at first, strikes as totally opposite to Mariam. She is educated and brought up
with modern and lateral thinking. Unfortunate events change her life completely
as she turns into a wife restricting herself from education and other
privileges. She is a fighter and a believer of justice. She is compassionate, loyal,
smart and brave.
Rasheed
is made out perfectly for the readers to hate. He believes in all the old
traditions, ill treats his wives and subjects them to a lot of restrictions.
This antagonist displays an example in the society.
Tariq
is a lovable character like a knight in shining armor. His love is evident as
are his actions and words. He is the person who is like sunshine in this
story.
Aziza
and Zalmai are sweet kids. I loved Aziza more, which is obvious.
Story line:
The story is divided in four parts. Part one
witnesses Mariam's life from being a little girl to being in an unhappy
marriage. Mariam lives with her mother and meets her father once a week. As the
story progresses, her mother commits suicide. That leaves her with no option
but to get married to a strange man and move to a strange place. Her husband
Rasheed seems kind for only 10 pages. He becomes intolerable and abusive after
the loss of their unborn children.
Part two is the most fun the story could get. In
this part, there's a wonderful heart warming love story between Laila and Tariq. The
story is sweet and lovely until reality happens. Tariq leaves town.
Subsequently, Laila's house is destroyed making her an orphan.
Part three is where the two stories connect becoming
the most commanding and powerful journey for Mariam, Laila and Rasheed. He
marries Laila which brings out initial conflict between the two wives. But
gradually, there forms a bond between Mariam and Laila by which they their
lives become better. They start to live just for the sake of the other.
This almost mother-daughter bond among all the other cruelties gives hope. The
end was quite astonishingly satisfying. The murder of Rasheed by Mariam to save
Laila was heroic. I really wished that all of them (Mariam, Laila, Tariq, Aziza and
Zalmai) could live together after Rasheed's death. But only after Mariam's
confession, her death sentence and the safe lives of the others, it occurred to
me that it was the right decision. The author made me switch sides within a few
pages. That's the power of writing, I believe.
Part four is the concluding chapter. In this, Laila
gets the required closure on Mariam. The author's brilliance shows clearly
in this. Most people might find the last part irrelevant but actually it is
vital. The readers get the closure on Mariam. They weep when they read Jalil's
letter. They wonder what would have happened if... They are mesmerized, sad and
also needy. That's why I absolutely loved to read this book from an author I
hadn't read before. It had suspense and an edge.
Overall Thoughts:
'A Thousand Splendid Suns' focuses on the values of
family and love. It also portrays the life in a country with constant
turbulence. Among war and traditions, there also exists an unforgettable love
story. This novel clearly has it all. There is love and hate, life and death,
poverty and prosperity. The story never gets boring for even a second. It
taught me a lot about how to keep the readers engrossed. It's impossible
to lose interest in it. It is a story that speaks beyond words and reaches
across lives. Such books are the ones written once in a decade. It is a
target-setting, thought-provoking and a must read novel.
