Book Worth Reading

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a novel by Khaled Hosseini, Khaled introduces a story set in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan which spans before Soviet War till after the rule of the Taliban, a Sunni Islamic group. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” introduces two women whose lives intersect and as a result develop a mother daughter relationship.

The story begins with Mariam who is an illegitimate child that grew up in a hut whose mother is a sick and bitter woman and father is disloyal. On Mariam’s fifteenth birthday she goes to see her father so that he can take her to the theater like he promised. He avoids her and sends her home. Upon arriving, she sees her mother has hung herself due to abandonment. Mariam is sent to marry Rasheed, a shoemaker thirty years her senior. She accepts without protest and decides never to speak to her father again. From the beginning Mariam has had bad luck however; her luck worsens when she marries Rasheed. Rasheed at first is gentle with Mariam however, after each miscarriage he becomes unpleasant. Rasheed becomes so mean to the point of yelling and taking out all his frustration out on her for made up reasons. Mariam is constantly verbally and physically abused by her husband.

Part two of the novel introduces Laila, who was encouraged to pursue her education by her father; she has a close friend by the name Tariq who she cares about. When Tariq decides to move with his family to safety Laila and Tariq make love. Her entire life changes when a rocket lands on her house killing her beloved parents. When she learns that Tariq, her boyfriend, died due to a rocket attack near the Pakistan border she agrees to marry Rasheed in order to save Tariq’s unborn child.

Laila and Mariam become allies and develop a mother daughter relationship that ultimately makes them stand up to Rasheed. One day Laila is receives a visit from Tariq, who she believed died. Her son tells Rasheed about the visit. Rasheed becomes jealous and starts beating Laila. Mariam realizes if she does not stop him he will beat her to death. Mariam picks up a shovel and struck him over the head repeatedly. Mariam kills Rasheed and later confesses to her crime. She sacrificed herself so that Laila could leave and survive to live a normal life with the love of her life, Tariq, and with her two children. . Hosseini’s portrays each character with human emotions and shows examples of their daily lives.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” theme revolves around the strength of women and hope. Hosseini introduces a story that is a story about war in Afghanistan however he reveals it though the eyes of two women as the struggle with the demands of oppression. Hosseini successfully constructs a story that can be retold countless times. Hosseini develops an emotional bond with the characters with the reader which makes them realize the hardships women endured in Afghanistan.