A Thousand Splendid Suns

A book that sets you thinking about Afghanistan and its people. The turmoil the Afghans have gone through in recent times and the ravages of war. Hosseini writes from the heart. By narrating the lives of just two of his characters, he has brought alive the misery that swept across the country in the final two decades of the 20th century. This book will also count as a historical and social record of Afghanistan during this period.

The beauty of Hosseini’s writing is he uses simple words and sentences to convey forcefully many strong emotions. Take the opening sentence, for instance: Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word ‘harami’. Hosseini constructs the life of women in a male-dominated society, through two female characters – Mariam and Laila. I was touched by the pitiable life of Mariam (if it was worth calling life). She was finally executed publicly. The scene of the execution written over nine pages is full of emotion, though the characters in there show zero emotion.

Why would the West (or for that matter, we in India) take any notice of Afghans as a people? All we think about them is that they are constantly at war, devoid of higher imagination, and mostly engaged in selling dried fruits in different countries. Hosseini has created eye-openers towards the psyche of Afghan folks through his books, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and the earlier one, KITE RUNNER. I haven’t read his third book, AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED.

Fortunately, life takes a happy turn for Laila (mainly because of Mariam’s sacrifice); the book ends on a positive and hopeful note.

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