Hosseini’s Masterpiece — A Thousand Splendid Suns.
The Resilience of Afghani Women: Unveiling Suffering and Strength in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
“I couldn’t think of a more riveting, important, or compelling story than the struggle of women in my country. Dramatically speaking, every other topic paled in comparison” — Khaled Hosseini.
My heart goes out to all the women suffering in refugee camps, born with the same essence of womanhood as me, who once held burning passions and lived an innocent childhood, eagerly hoping to explore the world. This book, once again, emphasizes the harsh reality that not everyone will find a happy ending, even after enduring a lifetime of suffering.
Women like Mariam hold a place in our hearts, where they’ll shine with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns. We’ve all seen that one woman in our lives, who had no dawn and only darkness in her life, yet beams at people as if nothing ever happened. It could be our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, or dear friends. Tough as nails, they pick themselves up.
I remind myself repeatedly, how privileged I am to come home to loving and living parents, how privileged I am to receive an education, to have a place to call home, and to have food on my plate.
The women in A Thousand Splendid Suns were deprived of all of these. They suffered intense domestic violence, the loss of multiple children, and many more cruel things they didn’t deserve. At a very young age, they were married off. The book showcased the existence of good, kind men as much as the vile ones.
In Afghanistan, a vulnerable country, filled with pleading eyes, craving for the flourishing home their country once was, women are treated worse than cattle; education and reason are disregarded, and rage and violence feed them, nationalists.
Among the rubble and demons, Mariam and Laila lived under a single roof. Birthing male children, keeping the house clean, cooking for the men, accompanying them to bed as and when demanded, and paying no attention to the taunting, violence, and disrespect daily were the primary duties of most women there. Even girls and children do not escape these torments.
I really don’t know where they get their will to live. Bounded by the love for their children, family, and responsibility, women in Afghanistan were left with no option.
Khaled Hosseini outdoes himself every time. Even though it is a fictional story, it is heavily inspired by the actual lives of Afghan people. The book is undoubtedly filled with rich descriptions of the place and a coherent, almost linear narrative. Every chapter shook the reader. It is precisely because of this effect, intensely evoking the reader’s emotion, that it is unputdownable. It is not easy to come across a book that almost constantly makes you cry.
The story revolves around two women, Mariam and Laila, who were married off at a very young age due to unfortunate circumstances in their lives. Their story starts and ends at different timelines, but in the middle, in the woefully little time they spent together, their hearts and misery merge, and they unite, never giving up on each other.
I would sell my soul to read this book again for the first time.
10/10.
