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A review by whoz_swechchha
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
I'd started this book expecting it to be as good as "The kite runner " if not better. But now that I've finished reading, I'm not entirely sure about how I feel.
This book follows the journey of Mariam (an illegitimate daughter of a rich businessman) who soon after her mother's death is married off to Rasheed (a shoemaker almost 30 yrs older than her). The story follows a series of misfortunes that occur throughout Mariam's life and how almost 2 decades later her life intertwines with a 15 yr old girl Laila. This book takes place in Afghanistan during a period of high political instability and ongoing war and I'd definitely not expected it to be an easy read. But this book was way darker than I'd imagined. There were a lot of graphic scenes of domestic violence and marital rape. I had to skip a few paragraphs and put the book aside multiple times because I couldn't seem to be able to continue reading. Also since the relationship between Mariam and Laila is such an important aspect of the book, I'd expected their bond to develop slowly over time. But all of it just happened in an instant and I found it very unconvincing. I wish the writer had put some more effort in highlighting the beautiful moments between Mariam and Laila and Mariam and Laila's kids instead of focusing on adding disturbing details of abuse. That would've created a perfect balance between hope and tragedy without taking anything away from the story. By the time I'd reached the end of the book, I was so mentally drained to feel anything for the characters and I was just relieved that it was finally over.
I do however believe that "A thousand splendid suns" is an important book but it's definitely not something I'd prefer to read again.
This book follows the journey of Mariam (an illegitimate daughter of a rich businessman) who soon after her mother's death is married off to Rasheed (a shoemaker almost 30 yrs older than her). The story follows a series of misfortunes that occur throughout Mariam's life and how almost 2 decades later her life intertwines with a 15 yr old girl Laila. This book takes place in Afghanistan during a period of high political instability and ongoing war and I'd definitely not expected it to be an easy read. But this book was way darker than I'd imagined. There were a lot of graphic scenes of domestic violence and marital rape. I had to skip a few paragraphs and put the book aside multiple times because I couldn't seem to be able to continue reading. Also since the relationship between Mariam and Laila is such an important aspect of the book, I'd expected their bond to develop slowly over time. But all of it just happened in an instant and I found it very unconvincing. I wish the writer had put some more effort in highlighting the beautiful moments between Mariam and Laila and Mariam and Laila's kids instead of focusing on adding disturbing details of abuse. That would've created a perfect balance between hope and tragedy without taking anything away from the story. By the time I'd reached the end of the book, I was so mentally drained to feel anything for the characters and I was just relieved that it was finally over.
I do however believe that "A thousand splendid suns" is an important book but it's definitely not something I'd prefer to read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Sexual assault