Book Recommendation: “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, by Khaled Hosseini
02/10/10
I recently picked up a new book, following a friend’s recommendation. The book is called ”A Thousand Splendid Suns”, by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini and was initially published in 2007. It is the author’s second novel, after his 2003 bestseller “The Kite Runner”. I was very impressed with this book.The story follows the tumultuous lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, spanning from the 1960s to 2003. ”Tumultuous” is actually a soft word to describe everything that these women go through, starting with their childhood. I’ve always been curious about Middle Eastern cultures, the Muslim way of life, so this book was very insightful in that sense. It was like an open door to a Muslim family’s house, a door I would probably never dare enter in reality. To me it was very interesting to learn how Muslim women are treated in their society, in their homes. The story is truly heartbreaking because it involves so much suffering for these women, first from uncaring and manipulative parents, then from an extremely abusive, violent husband… that they share. It is beautiful however to see how a deep, real friendship can emerge between these women even in the hardest of circumstances. A beautiful friendship that in the end will cause one of them to sacrifice her life so that the other one might have a chance for happiness.
The author, I believe, does a very good job contouring the political scene in Afghanistan: all the turmoil caused by the Soviet occupation, followed by the violent fights between the different Afghan factions and then the Taliban takeover. He shows us how so many lives of innocent people were changed and even destroyed by this ongoing war. Just to give you an idea of women’s rights according to the Talibans, this is a little excerpt from their message when they occupied Kabul in 1996, according to Mr. Hosseini:
Attention women:
You will stay inside your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home.
You will not, under any circumstance, show your face. You will cover your face with burqa when outside. If you do not, you will be severely beaten.
Cosmetics are forbidden.
Jewelry is forbidden.
You will not wear charming clothes.
You will not speak unless spoken to.
You will not make eye contact with men.
You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten.
You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger.
Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediately.
Women are forbidden from working.
If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death.
Listen. Listen well. Obey.
Add these rules to a life of living with an already abusive and extremely violent husband and you might have a vague picture of what these women go through. Over and over again, I thought to myself “How much more can they take? How can life be SO unfair?”. The whole world is evolving, moving forward – what’s going on over there??? One of the problems of the Western cultures is that we have too many freedoms, while the problem over there is that even the most fundamental freedoms are being taken away in the most violent manner.
I definitely want to recommend this book to everyone. It will provide great insight and will broaden your perspective, guaranteed. It’s a reminder to count your blessings, to be thankful and to pray more for that troubled area of the world.
