A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Set in Afghanistan, the plot of this book is sure to grab your heart and not let go. Even if the only geography of the region that you know is what you've heard on the nightly news, you can still follow the story quite well. The names were generally unfamiliar to me, as was the history of Afghanistan for the past 30 years, but retaining the names of various generals and rulers was not a significant part of this book. The story of Mariam and Laila is compelling because it is the story of two strong women who happened to be born into circumstances that limit their choices in life. (I was reminded of O-lan in The Good Earth and her meager life.) As I read Splendid Suns, I kept thanking God that I had been born into a country where women are valued and war is not part of every day of my life.
Hosseini includes enough foreshadowing hints so the reader is prepared emotionally for the events in the book. (Nonetheless, it was hard for me not to weep when Mariam makes her ultimate decision toward the end of the book. I could see it coming, but could not help my sorrow.) The author also includes Afghan songs and lullabies, as well as references to poets I've never heard of. Many Urdu and Pashto words are incorporated into the text, but it is not difficult to follow. I even found myself switching easily from "Mariam jo" to "Mariam jan" when the characters changed regions.
Stylistically, I admired how Hosseini chooses to tell the climax of the story simultaneously from two different time perspectives. Because it is the climax of the book, he does not tell us of the event and then have Rasheed, Laila's husband, discover what happened. That would slow the emotional impact down. Instead, Hosseini toggles between telling us of the event as it happens and telling us of the event when Rasheed finds out. The condensation of time results is an emotional punch to the reader as powerful as the literal punches Rasheed dealt to Laila.
Finally, I was glad Hosseini wrote a complete denouement for the story. He could easily have ended the story shortly after Mariam kneels down for the last time at the end of Part 3. Because Hosseini has Laila return to Herat in search of more knowledge about Mariam, we, too are able to have closure after losing Mariam. And, after such a bleak story, we are promised new life with the baby that Laila expects. I don't know about you, but I want her to have a girl.
If I had to point out one negative aspect of the writing (and who am I to do that???), I would suggest that a more direct link between the women be drawn sooner. As it is written, we follow Mariam's life, then completely switch to Laila's life. It is over 90 pages before their lives entwine with each other. I could certainly appreciate how carefully Hosseini set up the background of each woman after I read the entire book, but it was like reading two separate stories for those 90 pages. I also thought Laila's mother, Fariba, went much too abruptly from a strong, outspoken woman in the pages about Mariam's life to a crushed, bed-ridden woman in Laila's life. I felt she should have been drawn as less independent when she is first introduced in order for the reader to truly believe she could become the woman who withdraws from life altogether during Laila's childhood. Because we skip a decade in Laila's life, we do not see the transformation; we are just told it happened.
Who should not read this book? Anyone who does not want a greater understanding of a woman's life in modern Afghanistan, anyone who does not want to learn about the culture there, or anyone who does not have a heart.
Hosseini includes enough foreshadowing hints so the reader is prepared emotionally for the events in the book. (Nonetheless, it was hard for me not to weep when Mariam makes her ultimate decision toward the end of the book. I could see it coming, but could not help my sorrow.) The author also includes Afghan songs and lullabies, as well as references to poets I've never heard of. Many Urdu and Pashto words are incorporated into the text, but it is not difficult to follow. I even found myself switching easily from "Mariam jo" to "Mariam jan" when the characters changed regions.
Stylistically, I admired how Hosseini chooses to tell the climax of the story simultaneously from two different time perspectives. Because it is the climax of the book, he does not tell us of the event and then have Rasheed, Laila's husband, discover what happened. That would slow the emotional impact down. Instead, Hosseini toggles between telling us of the event as it happens and telling us of the event when Rasheed finds out. The condensation of time results is an emotional punch to the reader as powerful as the literal punches Rasheed dealt to Laila.
Finally, I was glad Hosseini wrote a complete denouement for the story. He could easily have ended the story shortly after Mariam kneels down for the last time at the end of Part 3. Because Hosseini has Laila return to Herat in search of more knowledge about Mariam, we, too are able to have closure after losing Mariam. And, after such a bleak story, we are promised new life with the baby that Laila expects. I don't know about you, but I want her to have a girl.
If I had to point out one negative aspect of the writing (and who am I to do that???), I would suggest that a more direct link between the women be drawn sooner. As it is written, we follow Mariam's life, then completely switch to Laila's life. It is over 90 pages before their lives entwine with each other. I could certainly appreciate how carefully Hosseini set up the background of each woman after I read the entire book, but it was like reading two separate stories for those 90 pages. I also thought Laila's mother, Fariba, went much too abruptly from a strong, outspoken woman in the pages about Mariam's life to a crushed, bed-ridden woman in Laila's life. I felt she should have been drawn as less independent when she is first introduced in order for the reader to truly believe she could become the woman who withdraws from life altogether during Laila's childhood. Because we skip a decade in Laila's life, we do not see the transformation; we are just told it happened.
Who should not read this book? Anyone who does not want a greater understanding of a woman's life in modern Afghanistan, anyone who does not want to learn about the culture there, or anyone who does not have a heart.
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