A Thousand Splendid Suns - Wendy's Book Review

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."
-from a poem by Saeb-e-Tabrizi-

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a sweeping generational novel set in Afghanistan over the last thirty years from the Soviet invasion through the tortuous reign of the Taliban and the post-Taliban rebuilding years. Hosseini follows the lives of two women: Mariam and Laila. Mariam is a harami - an illegitimate child whose wealthy father casts her and her mother out of his home. When she is sold to the cruel Rasheed, a man who is easily 40 years her senior, Mariam's life becomes one of pain, disappointment, abuse and endurance...just as her mother had predicted.

"...There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school. Look at me." "You should not speak like this to her, my child," Mullah Faizullah said. "Look at me." Mariam did. "Only one skill. And it's this: tahamul. Endure."
-From A Thousand Splendid Suns, page 17-

Laila is born in Kabul, only doors away from where Mariam and Rasheed live. When war arrives in the city, Laila finds her world turned upside down and a twist of fate brings her and Mariam together.

Hosseini's novel reveals the horrible effects of war, and the abuse and mistreatment of women under the Taliban. Heartbreaking in its scope, the novel touched my heart and had me choking back tears. As a woman born in the United States, it is hard for me to wrap my brain around the outrages done against women in other parts of the world. To imagine a life where one is not allowed outside without being accompanied by a man; cannot show her face in public; may be stoned to death for a perceived attraction to someone other than one's husband; may not read, paint or even laugh without the fear of punishment; may be repeatedly beaten by one's husband and have no recourse in the law...is almost beyond the scope of my imagination. And yet it has happened; is happening.

Hossein's novel is a must read - if only to remind us of the suffering of women in other countries, and the outrages of war. Beautifully written, fiercely powerful, and with a message about the redeeming quality of love and hope, A Thousand Splendid Suns is highly recommended; rated 5/5.

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I read this book from Becky R's list. She said:

Because the Afghanistan and Pakistan have fascinated me recently. I have read a couple fiction books recently and went to the movie A Mighty Heart. This week I am also looking forward to hearing Kahled Hosseini speak. I have developed a hobby of catching some of my favorite authors at bookstores. I think it gives a reader a special window into why they wrote a book and it always amazing to hear an author read from his or her book.

Thanks for the recommendation, Becky. This was a fantastic book!