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by Khaled Hosseini
Recommended Age: 15+ years and above
Lexile: 830L
Click here for content warnings (redirects you to an external site)
Book Summary
"Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam's unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other, their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.
With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women's endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move people to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction."
My Thoughts
To be honest, I'm not too sure how to start this review. I absolutely loved this book and want everyone to read this literary masterpiece but there's also so much pain and hurt within these pages that I don't, if that makes sense.
My mom warned me beforehand that this book wouldn't shy away from heavy topics, and, at the time, not having read it, my response was: "so many people have actually lived through this so how is it fair for me to choose not to read this just because I'm scared that it might get heavy?"
Looking back, I don't regret reading it, but I do get where her concern came from. All of this is to say that if you're going to read it, be very mindful that Hosseini doesn't skirt around a lot of the problems. Please refer to the linked website above that lists all the content warnings - spoiler alert, there are many.
A Thousand Splendid Suns was first put on my radar when I glimpsed the cover in a quaint little bookshop in Prague this summer. There wasn't a large section of young adult books in English, so as I wandered the rest of the store, I came across this bright yellow cover and instantly became intrigued. Although I didn't pick up the book then, I was assigned a history project on the Afghan war months later. As I was researching to find out more about the war, Khaled Hosseini's books naturally came up in the search, and this time, I knew that I had to read it.
The fact that both Mariam and Laila were only fifteen years old—the same age that I am right now—when life subjected them to so much injustice made this so emotional for me. Also, because the way Hosseini writes is so raw and real, it's as if you're in the same room with Mariam and Laila and watching all of this happen to them in real-time, which is heartbreaking, to say the least.
I read the book over a span of a few days, and it took over my entire headspace: when I was not reading it, I was thinking about it. Rationally, I knew that it wouldn't take a long time to get immersed into Mariam and Laila's world, but I also knew that it would get too overwhelming. So, as much as I wanted to read it all in one sitting, I had to pace myself and read it in short spans.
I remember reading this one particular line towards the end that I thought perfectly encapsulated the essence of the book: "Though there had been moments of beauty in it, Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her." Like the quote, this story was filled with mountains of sadness and terrible things, but the one thing that consistently brought light was Mariam and Laila's relationship: their bond went deeper than blood, as strong as can be from the tough times they faced together. Somewhere in my brain, I know that they're not real characters, but they probably represent the experiences of many women. I think that's why I remember feeling relieved that through all of life's unfairness, at least they had each other.
I could go on and on about how amazing this book is and all the reasons why you should read it, but I think that would give too much of the plot or story away. So, I'll just say that to everyone who hasn't read it, please do.
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