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hplteenbookreviews 's review for:
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is a captivating story set in Afghanistan as it spans 30 of the country’s eruptive events. We follow two generations of Afghan women along with those around them as they try to raise a family, get by surviving, and find a semblance of peace as history unfolds around them.
Mariam starts the story as a quiet child who resents her mother and her decisions, not realizing the amount of shame and misfortune she had to deal with to become a strict figure. For the first part of her life, she had to endure being an illegitimate child that was only allowed to see her father once a week. Then she is plagued by guilt after her mother commits suicide after running away towards a real relationship with her half family. Due to this event, she does not overly protest against her marriage to Rasheed. It was jarring to see Miriam turn bitter, resentful, and fearful, almost like her mother was throughout her marriage to Rasheed.
Laila also goes through massive hardships that make her more submissive than she had been before to survive her situation. Throughout her marriage to Rasheed, Laila’s independence is challenged. Yet she endures it because she is willing to take on limitations for the sake of her children's security. You see how her mindset is far from the one she held earlier on in the story as she used to pity her friend and other women being forced into and making compromises in marriage.
By providing two different stories about an Afghan woman’s experience, Hosseini has provided insight into their unrepresented struggles and experiences. Even though their stories are riddled with heartbreak and loss, Miriam and Laila’s mother-daughter love for each other and the family they created under their abusive husband is in my opinion, the driving force behind the climax of this story. I truly loved this book and would give it a 9/10.
Mariam starts the story as a quiet child who resents her mother and her decisions, not realizing the amount of shame and misfortune she had to deal with to become a strict figure. For the first part of her life, she had to endure being an illegitimate child that was only allowed to see her father once a week. Then she is plagued by guilt after her mother commits suicide after running away towards a real relationship with her half family. Due to this event, she does not overly protest against her marriage to Rasheed. It was jarring to see Miriam turn bitter, resentful, and fearful, almost like her mother was throughout her marriage to Rasheed.
Laila also goes through massive hardships that make her more submissive than she had been before to survive her situation. Throughout her marriage to Rasheed, Laila’s independence is challenged. Yet she endures it because she is willing to take on limitations for the sake of her children's security. You see how her mindset is far from the one she held earlier on in the story as she used to pity her friend and other women being forced into and making compromises in marriage.
By providing two different stories about an Afghan woman’s experience, Hosseini has provided insight into their unrepresented struggles and experiences. Even though their stories are riddled with heartbreak and loss, Miriam and Laila’s mother-daughter love for each other and the family they created under their abusive husband is in my opinion, the driving force behind the climax of this story. I truly loved this book and would give it a 9/10.