A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

 

 

Every so often you come across a piece of art that puts your life into perspective. 

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.” written by Saib-e-Tabrizi in the seventeenth century about the beautiful city of Kabul in Afghanistan. 

The last lines that come to Hakim's mind as he leaves his birthplace, his children's birthplace, the city where he fell in love, the house that heard so many cries and much laughter, unsure if he will ever see it again.

 One can never truly empathize with the characters in this story, not unless you've experienced the loss of the only place you've ever known as home. The loss of a home and a motherland to hate and bigotry, frivolous at it's core which had slowly evolved into something deadly.

 It paints a picture of how futile war truly is, relentless and dividing, and the pattern of women being dealt a bad hand throughout history. 

Worse yet is the alienation of these women by a land that they love more than it loves them. 

The protagonists of this story are two women from vastly different backgrounds, although they grew up in the same war-torn Afghanistan.

 So close yet so far, their lives intertwine into a heartbreaking yet engaging story of perseverance, resilience, motherhood and the unending adversities they face as women in a society that doesn't believe in their freedom. 

Mariam with her child-like simplicity, oblivious to the world she was locked away from. Made to believe she was undeserving of love and kindness. Born out of wedlock and abandoned by a father she would've fought the world for, she is the epitome of purity and innocence. 

Laila with her wit and bravery, fighting everyday for everyone but herself. A revolutionary, taught by her father that she would change the world one day regardless of what people said.

Tariq who restores all faith in love and the existence of mutual respect. 

Bound by duty to their families and the rules written for them, painfully loyal and the purest souls that deserved the world but found happiness with what little they were dealt. 

Love that transcended the raining gunshots and whistling missiles outside their walls.

As you grow with these characters and the challenges in their childhoods that shape them as they go, you can't help but feel a little ungrateful for the liberties you took for granted. Although they are fictional, their plights are far from it. Relevant even in today's world, you wonder how far we've truly come, and how much farther we have left to go. 

The war takes from them more than they could've imagined, yet the book manages to conclude beautifully.  A heartwarming end to a myriad of struggles that make you appreciate every day that you've been given with the people you love.

 “.. Love can move people to act in unexpected ways and move them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with startling heroism ..”