A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Book Review by Lorissa Shepstone)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Buy from Amazon ยป
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, hardship, cruelty and the incredible endurance and fortitude of two women, Mariam and Laila. Although we follow the lives of these two Afghan women as they quietly endure brutality and tragedy, it is a story that resonates with all women and touches your heart with its clear message of the amazing strength of women and the incredible depth of love, especially the love of a mother.
Mariam is 15 when she is married off to Rasheed, a 40 year old man with a quick temper and flying fist. Her early years are difficult but she bares everything silently - accepting. Years pass, and with it Afghanistan goes through many volatile events. The Soviets are kicked out, and in return the country is handed over to battling, bitter tribes - each with their own agenda and each with firepower to battle for power. The people in Kabul, and Mariam and Laila, find themselves in the middle of a raging war. Tragedy strikes for Laila and she must now join Mariam’s household. Her life, in an instant, is turned upside down and these two women are thrown together.
Two women, both unhappy in the household and under the ruling fist of Rasheed, find themselves not only becoming friends, but much more. Mariam finds herself, finally a mother figure, and in turn Laila loves Mariam deeply. The love they share is beyond what can be expressed in words and comes from two people enduring hardships far exceeding what most of us will ever know. Mariam, especially, has lost all hope of any sort of life without unhappiness and pain. Together, Mariam and Laila rebuild their dreams and, together, seek to find their happiness in life. Defying the rules of their country, which is soon ruled by the intolerant and cruel Taliban, they find renewed strength to change their lives.
As a woman, this story touched my heart and infuriated me at times. I found myself crying and wondering how a country could possibly treat women in such ways. Women who are not allowed to be educated, to go outside without the presence of a man, are forced into marriage as young as 13, are beaten, can not talk unless spoken to, can not be seen, can not work and who can never leave their husbands regardless of the cruelty and brutality inflicted upon them. A country where a woman who is raped is seen as the instigator and stoned for it.
This book is not about the rights and wrongs of war. It is not about the justification of war and religion. In fact, the author, Khaled Hosseini tells us some of the history of Afghanistan as merely the background to the story. The real story is so much more. Hosseini tells a story about the brutal truth of what the innocent civilians, and particularly, the innocent women must live with, deal with, in a war torn, religiously fanatic and chauvinistic regime. It is the real issues that so many face all around the world. The people who suffer first hand without caring about the politicians on the other side of the world, but rather worry about survival each day.
Ultimately, we find that love can give us strength beyond anything we can imagine, that choice - the most fundamental freedom of all - is both liberating and difficult and that forgiveness is a gift to ourselves, as well as to those we forgive.
Khaled Hosseini is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns is Hosseini’s second book. For more about this author, visit his website www.khaledhosseini.com.
Lorissa Shepstone: A South African photographer, designer and the co-founder of Expressions, Lorissa currently lives in England with her husband and their feline-brat. Her work has been featured in various publications including PC Magazine, Digital Camera Shopper, Small Spiral Notebook, 28mm, U&I Magazine, unbound press and Create Your Own Photoblog. She is the founder and Creative Director of All Things Girl.
