“Listening to Naghma, Mariam remembered the dim glimmer of cold stars and the stringy pink clouds streaking over the Safid-koh mountains that long-ago morning when Nana had said to her, Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.”
Summary:
Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam’s unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other, their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.
With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women’s endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move people to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a portrait of a wounded country and a story of family and friendship, of an unforgiving time, an unlikely bond, and an indestructible love.
My Thoughts:
A Thousand Splendid Suns was recommended to me by a friend. I had read The Kite Runner, also by Hosseini, but had no idea what I was in for with A Thousand Splendid Suns.
A Thousand Splendid Suns was a compelling journey of two women, Mariam and Laila, in Afghanistan. Mariam and Laila’s upbringing could not be more different. Mariam was raised in poverty, she was victim to the social hierarchy and tradition but loved nevertheless by her father. Laila was the youngest of her family who was adored by her father but neglected by her mother. They are brought together by the ugliness of war and marriage. Their story is one of the love, survival, family, and power of sisterhood.
This is not a happy story, a bittersweet one if that. A Thousand Splendid Suns gives you a chance to develop an appreciation for a part of the world that is often seen in a negative light. I found myself enjoying the story even though it challenged me.
Should you read A Thousand Splendid Suns?
I recommend you read this book because it holds a powerful message and view of a part of the world we do not often see. Hosseini has a talent for weaving powerful messages within realistic fiction. Mariam and Laila will change the way you look at the world. Hopefully, you find time to add A Thousand Splendid Suns to your reading list.
Have you read A Thousand Splendid Suns? What are your thoughts?
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