book review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Shout out Ashlynn Rose for the wonderful book recommendation. I don't think that I would've picked this book up by my own volition , so I credit you this amazing read. Thank you bestie <3
blurb:
Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of 30 years of Afghanistan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.
my review (contains spoilers):
If you haven't heard about this book, where tf you been at?
My fellow book feind bestie, Ashlynn, recommended this book to me, and ever since she mentioned it to me, I've been seeing it everywhere.
I listened to this book instead of doing it the old fashioned way. It was on hold for a few weeks at my local library, and my mother's copy was still being used by her. So, when the time came that my audible credit arrived, I knew what I was going to spend it on.
I was warned before I started about the violence that was perpetrated against both of our main characters, Mariam and Laila. So, it's only fair that I warn my readers about it as well- take this as your 9th hour warning; if you haven't already looked into the book, it's littered with sexism, physical, and mental abuse.
It's a medium length book, my (mother's) copy is kind of the size those small paper romance books, and I found that it was impressive how many years we saw pass, especially with following two main characters from childhood.
I found Mariam's storyline the most heartbreaking. Her background with Jalil and Nana set a foundation of unrequited love that followed her the rest of her life, the only love that she was given was from Laila and her children, and her Quran teacher, whose name escapes me right now. It's sad to mourn the life that Mariam deserved, especially when we see what she could have had from Jalil's fortune. I think she would have been blissful as apart of Laila and Tariq's life outside of Afghanistan. I thought that she was an incredibly brave woman to not only face the consequences of her actions, but the injustice of the consequences for it.
I found solace in the story with Laila. In the joy she found in her children, and being raised by such a progressive father. But Mariam, she lived and died unjustly.
This book truly reminded how much I hate men. It highlights in an unchecked society, men's brutality runs rampant. Rasheed, the man that Mariam is forced to marry and the man who tricked Laila into marriage, is a fucking despicable man, and I wouldn't be surprised if he murdered his first wife. His negligence is what killed his first son!
It's frightening how casually the conservative man absolutely dominated his wives. Toxicity oozed from him, he relished not only in the violence he inflicted on both Mariam and Laila, but he enjoyed creating dissonance between the two.
I have so much more to say, but I'm sure you all don't want a ten minute read of my opinions. I'll end it with this- Ash I owe you so much for this recommendation. It was an amazing peephole into the lives of women who don't have the same rights and opportunities that I do, and it made me grateful that I live the life I do.
Thank for you reading everyone <3
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