RC Part 7 - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Date: 04 February 2008 11:21:58

I am very tired today. Mainly because I stayed up finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This is a gorgeous book by the author of The Kite Runner, which I haven't read yet but will have to track down.

It is set in Afghanistan and the story starts in 1978 with a girl called Mariam who who the illegitimate child of a wealthy businessman. The book follows her childhood and the tragedies which happen to her, including family deaths and an arranged marriage to a violent man. Her story starts to intertwine with that of another young woman called Laila and the story ultimately ends in a horrible story of sacrifice but one that is tinged with love and commitment. The most striking thing about this book is the increasing oppression suffered by the women over the three decades that the story covers. I had barely considered the limitations that were placed on them by virtue of their gender and the impact this had on their daily lives.

I absolutely loved this book. I have never been to Afghanistan but the author's ability to describe the country and the people was quite extraordinary. I cried all the way through the last few chapters and whilst it is such a sad book there are touches of brilliance in the way the author draws the reader in and encourages them to see outside of their own culture and to empathise with a whole people group. The book made me consider the people who have been affected during the crises in Afghanistan and the impact that this has had on the men, women and children, something that I have never really sat and thought about before.

The book is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit in adverse conditions and whilst the author has resisted the happy ending, I couldn't help feeling that it was probably the right conclusion to the story. A fabulous book, evocative, heart-warming, sad, happy and just generally beautiful. Well worth a read! Now I have to go and find a copy of The Kite Runner!