Book Review

Introduction of “A Thousand Splendid Suns“

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a post-colonial novel that relates to the times of political strife in Afghanistan during the 1960s-2000s. The story however is not a dull account of the civil war and dwindling politics of Afghanistan. It in fact tells the impact of war and political strife on the personal lives of the people of Afghanistan. It deals with the themes of war, women abuse, illiteracy, parental love, and most importantly post-colonialism.

Plot Summary:         

The story revolves around women characters and they are the protagonists as well. Even though the novel has heroes too but they are not in the spotlight. A Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of an illegitimate child Mariam who lives on the outskirts of Herat. Even though her father is very rich but he cannot accept her and her mother due to the criticism which will follow this action.

            The novel tells the series of tragedies which Mariam has to suffer including the suicide of her mother, the marriage to a widowed shoemaker Rasheed, the miscarriage of her child, and the immense mental and physical abuse at the hands of her husband. Simultaneously, Hosseini includes another female character, Laila. She is Mariam’s neighbor in Kabul and the daughter of a happy couple. As the story unfolds, the author reveals how a war-torn country can scratch out the love even from the happiest households. Laila’s brothers die in war and her parents are extremely cold towards each other due to this loss.

            The only solace Laila has in her life is her friend Tariq. Who leaves for Pakistan due to growing chaos in the country. Laila and her parents decide to leave too. When a bomb kills her parents and Rasheed and Mariam take her home. Laila comes to know about Tariq’s death and marries Rasheed as she will soon be giving birth to Tariq’s baby. And Afghanistan is not the country where such women and children are welcomed to breathe. The reader experiences a few twists and turns which make the novel a real page-turner. And lead him to a tragic ending with a stroke of hope.

Language and Style of A Thousand Splendid Suns:

            The language of A Thousand Splendid Suns is very smooth and easy. But Hosseini still manages to sprinkle the story with aphorisms which represent Afghanistan in general and the world in particular, for example,

Like a compass facing north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.

Hosseini also uses interesting similes and metaphors throughout the novel, as,

A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing. It isn’t like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed. It won’t stretch to make room for you.

The problems he talks about have universal appeal, for example,

A society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated…

However, his writing style is so vivid that the reader is simply awed by the clarity of expressions.

Concluding Remarks:

            A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the best tragic novels which highlights the issues of the East from an Eastern perspective. The reader does not feel that the narrator is an outsider who is only criticizing the ways of the East. He rather gets a chance to probe deeply into a country crumbled by colonialism and extremism. He gets the first-hand experience of postcolonial chaos. The second half of the book fills him with so many emotions that it is impossible to remain alienated from the sufferings of the characters. It surely is one of the best options for those who want a glimpse of the post-colonial world.

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