A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand”

Khaled Hosseini, an Afghani-American writer had already stolen my heart with his first novel 'The kite Runner’. As a part of my hobby to venture in author’s world I decided to pick up his second fantastic novel woven with suffering and unimaginable compassion for friendship.

’A thousand splendid suns' made me cry with the story of two women whose paths crossed at the juncture where they had nothing but to accept each other. Their friendship and compromise for each other earned immense respect to Hosseini as a great novelist. The plot is set in Afghanistan from 1960s to the 1990s. In midst of torture and abuses of Taliban, domestic violence, war description and the major idea of oppression of women in Afghanistan filled my thirst for reading a horrifying and exquisite book.

The novel is divided in to dual narratives. The story of Mariam and her anxious mother who were abandoned by his wealthy father. Mariam as often named as HARAMI had to go through many brutalities of life not only in childhood but through out her life till the death. Her life was based on other’s point of view and prejudices about her. The writer has undoubtedly aroused pathos and sympathy for an amateur child who was married to a man 20 years senior to her, when she was only 15. Rasheed, her husband a good but grumpy man whose only concern was to acquire a child from her but he turned out to be terrible due to Mariam’s miscarriage. And her continual six miscarriages which left Mariam barren. Mariam could not fathom her life without love of a child and that gave a rise to sadness and emptiness in their marriage life. ‘ A thousand splendid suns ‘ is much more than what we only read. The writer has poured out his heart in making of this novel appealing.

second narrative- Laila who loses her love and family in war was just a child and somehow her destiny drags her into  Rasheed and Mariam’s life. Laila is much younger than Rasheed but she being orphaned at the time of war needed a shelter therefore she agrees to marry Rasheed. The story of two wives justify the emotions of readers. Mariam and  Laila initially finds it difficult to stay all together under a single roof but with the time they shared the same grief of womonhood and domestic violence by their husband Rasheed. Through out the novel, Hosseini has fed readers with intense Afghani situation which played a vital role in the novel. The chaos of war is compared to the war of these two women who try to find the ray of hope somewhere in gloom with hidden secrets. Both with resent for life could emerge through their journey with compromise of one life.

The heartfelt description of the lives of two women in midst of Afghani war make readers scream and squirm. The characters of Mariam and Laila are the representatives for all the women of their time.

Hosseini with no grandeur style of writing and verbose language could succeed to leave people with tears and hope for a better tomorrow. His simple writing could directly show Mariam and Laila's complex and contradictory situation. A brave, inspirational and outrageous tale for every man and woman to read.‘A thousand splendid suns' is one of the best books I have read till the day. This book will cater a very good time to all the book lovers. Happy reading.