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2014 Book Review #40: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Literary/Contemporary fiction
Thingummies: 4
Synopsis: The lives of two women living in Kabul intersect in love and tragedy.
Thoughts: For all the news articles I've read about Afghanistan, I think I have a better understanding of Afghanis from this book than I ever had before. If nothing else, it gives a deeply nuanced view of a society that has produced a lot of horrors but also a lot of beauty. It's the kind of reminder that people are people everywhere that we all need. The characters are deeply layered and beautifully drawn, complicated and realistic, and anything but stereotypes.
But the reason to read this book is not out of some noble desire to educate yourself. The reason to read it is because it's beautifully written and emotionally compelling. The language is lovely. The dilemmas the characters face are engrossing. And I could barely bear to put the book down by the end.
The story focuses on two women. One is born a bastard, her father a weak man ruled by his three wives and his family. She soon finds herself married off to a petty bully. The other lives down the street and is relatively privileged, with a liberal father who values education. The history of Kabul, though, is not a happy one, and the endless beating down from the Soviets, the warlords, the Taliban, and the Americans threaten to grind the two women down into hopelessness. The fact that they find their own ways to triumph feels cathartic.
It does feel a little...overly self-aware. It's got a bit of the "made for Oprah's book club" feeling, a bit too much literary flourish and wise moral. But overall, it's a lovely story.
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Literary/Contemporary fiction
Thingummies: 4
Synopsis: The lives of two women living in Kabul intersect in love and tragedy.
Thoughts: For all the news articles I've read about Afghanistan, I think I have a better understanding of Afghanis from this book than I ever had before. If nothing else, it gives a deeply nuanced view of a society that has produced a lot of horrors but also a lot of beauty. It's the kind of reminder that people are people everywhere that we all need. The characters are deeply layered and beautifully drawn, complicated and realistic, and anything but stereotypes.
But the reason to read this book is not out of some noble desire to educate yourself. The reason to read it is because it's beautifully written and emotionally compelling. The language is lovely. The dilemmas the characters face are engrossing. And I could barely bear to put the book down by the end.
The story focuses on two women. One is born a bastard, her father a weak man ruled by his three wives and his family. She soon finds herself married off to a petty bully. The other lives down the street and is relatively privileged, with a liberal father who values education. The history of Kabul, though, is not a happy one, and the endless beating down from the Soviets, the warlords, the Taliban, and the Americans threaten to grind the two women down into hopelessness. The fact that they find their own ways to triumph feels cathartic.
It does feel a little...overly self-aware. It's got a bit of the "made for Oprah's book club" feeling, a bit too much literary flourish and wise moral. But overall, it's a lovely story.