A Thousand Splendid Suns - A Soul-Stirring Novel-Unputdownable
Indeed,
your heart-strings will be pulled by Khaled Hosseini's first novel,
'The Kite Runner'. While, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' will squash all your notions on female jealousy. So, obviously
women might even find the latter far better.The book indeed is Soul-stirring and Heart-wrenching, to the core. High on emotions and melodrama, the book brilliantly chronicles the sorrowful saga of the Afghanis, crippled by constant wars waged by the insiders and the outsiders.
A poignant tale of two women on the whole, Mariam and Laila, though not blood-related; nevertheless related by circumstances. Mariam, born a harami- illegitimate child-is married off to a short tempered, bitter Rasheed, 30 years her senior, a man of extremely disagreeable temperament. Two decades later, Laila, born in a highly influential family, is forced to join Rasheed's unhappy household to be his second wife.
Mariam is living a troubled life with Rasheed, and Laila's presence is troubling her a lot more, akin to a salt rubbed on an open, raw wound. However, Laila tries her best to win over Mariam with her friendly gestures, and finally manages to win over her confidence. The bond between them grows so deep that both wives conspire to flee Afghanistan together, and thereby free themselves from the clutches of their abusive husband, Rasheed.
However, their escape attempt flops and conspicuously both wives have to bear Rasheed's wrath. As time passes on, there are other innumerable events, both ugly and lovely, dotting the women's life. Laila and her children become Mariam's only solace when her own womb ditches her time and again. The bond between them the two women grow so deep that on one fateful day, when Rasheed under his fury was suffocating Laila to death; Mariam pulled a shovel from nowhere and hit it right on her husband's head.
Rasheed lay on the floor dead, and Mariam was persecuted for the crime. On Mariam's insistence, Laila fled to Pakistan with her children and lover, but with a heavy heart, constantly reminding herself of the sacrifice Mariam made for her.
The flow of the narrative is mesmerizing; moreover pregnant with metaphors, the book keeps you hooked and goads you to continue reading till the end. Humans' self-sacrificing nature is brought out well in the book.
Quotable Quotes
Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.
In Laila's head, Mammy's voice rang out. "Like a myriad bird in your hands. Slacken your grip and away it flies". (pg. 153)
Very nice review, short & sweet, you captured whats the book all about in a shell, i wonder why the name thousand splendid suns, may be you could have covered that, though it would not be mush of a spoiler, would it ?
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