Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Real characters, vivid writing

Cons: Sad and brutal at times

The Bottom Line:

Not at all light read

But worth struggling through pain

For beautiful end

Beauty Amidst the Pain

I had heard of Khaled Hosseini and his debut novel, The Kite Runner, but hadn't paid much attention. It didn't sound like something I would enjoy. Still, the praise intrigued me enough that when I was offered an advance review copy of Mr. Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, I decided to give him a try. I can see the praise is well deserved.

The story takes place in Afghanistan, covers 40 years, and centers on two women. The first is Mariam. She is raised in a hut in the country by her mother, but the highlight of her week is the visit with her father. He comes every Thursday to see her. But her life changes forever when she is forced to marry at age 15. Rasheed is over twice her age and lives on the other side of the country, so Mariam is forced to leave behind everything she knows. She is also given new restrictions on her freedom since Rasheed is a devout man.

Laila is raised in a house just down the street from Mariam and Rasheed. Born on the night the Soviets invade Afghanistan, she is raised in a progressive family. While her mother spends most of her time in bed suffering from depression, her father encourages her to learn all she can at school. Her best friend growing up is Tariq, a neighborhood boy who lost one of his legs to a land mine a few years earlier.

It's not until the power struggle after the Soviets leave that tragedy comes to Mariam and Laila's street. But when it does, it links their two lives together forever. Despite the 19 year age difference, the two forge a strong bond of friendship. Will it be enough to endure the hardships to come?

There are hints from the very beginning that this is not going to be a happy story. The author uses foreshadowing to great effect. Even the writing style seems melancholy and adds to the feel of the story.

This book is almost a character study. As a result, I found the first half dragged a little. Then again, it could be because I knew where that first half was leading. Once it got there, I was completely engaged for the second half. The ending was extremely bittersweet. I cried as I read it. But it was beautiful at the same time. I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way.

Since the focus is on Mariam and Laila, they are two well developed characters. They each get their own section in the first half of the novel, so we truly get to know them. Once their stories merge, the characters switch third person viewpoints so we can see the action from both of their eyes. This makes the characterization that much richer. And we truly come to care for them.

As I mentioned earlier, the novel covers a span of 40 years, yet it's easy to follow where in history we are. And, while never the focus, Afghanistan history is an ever present backdrop to the story. Through this novel, we in the west can see what the people in that country have experienced through their civil wars and under the oppressive Taliban regime.

I was surprised to note that the final section of the novel, the last 30 pages or so, the author switched to present tense from past tense. Not sure why, but this threw me for a few pages until I got used to it.

The book is extremely well written. I felt like I was there for every step of their journey. And I sometimes felt like I had to look away from the page because of the brutality being written about.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a sad book, but it is also a thing of beauty. I can understand why Mr. Hosseini has received such praise. At some point, I will have to catch up with his debut novel.