A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossieni

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By Khaled Hosseini

About the Author

Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan America Novelist. He is the author of the same famous novels “The kite Runner” and “and the Mountain echoed”. His novels have reached the level of success. He also spent his time in Iran as well as France. He not only writes in English but also in the Farsi language.

Overview

A thousand Splendid Sun is written by the famous author Khaled Hosseini. The Genre of this novel is Contemporary and historical function. This novel is set to place in Afghanistan. The story begins in the early 70s but ended in 2003. The language of this book in English. The Major Character of this novel is Mariam, Laila, Rasheed, and Tariq. A thousand Splendid Sun is a story of Love, hate, quarrel, fear, loss, and hope. In this novel, we came to know about how two different men act differently in their part. A thousand Splendid Suns take us to the lives of two Strong ladies i.e. Mariam and Laila. The major themes of this book are History and Memory in Afghanistan, Sorrow and Perseverance, Shame and Status, Love, Loyalty, Sincerity, Gender Relations, and Female Friendship. Most of the time story is narrated by two female characters i.e. Mariam and Laila. This book is originally published on 22 May 2007. Most of the places that are described in the novel are real ones. The story is a mixture of Good and Evil characters.

Characters:

Mariam

Laila

Rasheed (Mariam’s and Laila’s Husband)

Tariq (Laila’s Childhood Friend)

Aziza (Laila’s daughter)

Zalmai (Laila’s Son)

Jalil (Mariam’s Father)

Mullah Faizullah (Mariam Quran Teacher)

 

Review:

A thousand Splendid Sun is a powerful book that you cannot able to put back. I have read several books but this book is very close to my heart. There is my attachment to this novel. From this novel, you notice how the People of Afghanistan suffer from War. War is not a solution to anything. It does not just destroy your house or building but it disturbs your mental health for the rest of your life. These books give us a true depiction of how women are treated under the regime of the Taliban. Mariam and Laila are the women that have much courage to face everything. From the character sketch of Mariam and Laila, we came to know how Women survive in the time of the Taliban with great courage. During the period of the Taliban regime, women were treated just like a Heap of rubbish. But by their struggles, we know that they are women of words. Who survive each circumstance with great heart and courage. Rasheed is an evil genius person. From The character of Rasheed, we can imagine how the men of Afghanistan behave toward their wives. This novel not only talks about war and its effects on people but also puts light on child marriage, domestic violence, and marital abuse.

We cannot even give a reward to the women of Afghanistan for the sacrifice they made. A thousand splendid sun also talks about how women of Afghanistan are treated. They are not allowed to work and along with that they are even not given proper treatment in Hospitals. How heart-wrenching is this when you need to check by the doctor but there is no hospital ready to treat you? All characters have taken some sort of sympathy from me but the character Rasheed has no value to me. He thinks that he is a man of power. According to Khaled Hosseini, even the reader from India and US show their sympathy for the people of Afghanistan. They want to help the people of Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini through his character sketch fulfills his duty as the best author. There is a clear and perfect depiction of every scene he wants to tell in his writing. A thousand splendid suns tell us how the people live their life in only black and white color due to the fear of War. One thing we need to understand is that War is not a solution to anything. War has long-lasting effects on the people. In the novel, Rasheed has just focused on the Word Burqa which symbolizes that he just wants to show his control over his wives. There is strong bonding between two ladies who are the wife of the same man Rasheed. At the end of the novel, we see character transformation in the form of Laila. We as a reader never forget the sacrifice of Mariam for the happiness of Laila. Mariam is like a mother to Laila due to her great care for her. Due to several emotional scenes, this novel is not a depressing one at all. Sometimes readers got fed up with the emotional stories but this novel makes its special place due to the great description of each scene. We need more women like Mariam who face everything with great courage and get rid of domestic abuse. She not only saves herself from the martial abuse but also plays a great role in the protection of Laila. In the novel, we see the boundless chemistry between Mariam and Laila. At the start, they have also some grudges but as the story begins their heart melts gradually.

 We should be Thankful to ALLAH for the unlimited blessings he gave us without any effort. 

This book is highly recommended to all.

Happy reading…!