“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini

Possibly one of the most loved books by South Asian women of the 21st century, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a war tragedy, a book about women’s rights and a book about a mother, a daughter and their struggles. Released on the 22nd of May, 2007, the book has received praise atop of praise for its depictions of women in an Afghan regime that revolves around institutional misogyny and upholds increasingly patriarchal views in which women can be ritually killed for their outspoken behaviours.

The title of the book comes from the 17th century poem entitled ‘Kabul’ by the Iranian poet Saib Tabrizi and specifically the translation by Josephine Davis. It states the following: ‘One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs and the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls…’ Hosseini explains he found the ‘evocative title’ by searching for a particular line that a character would say when leaving the city he loves and holds dear. He also explains that the reason for women being the central topic of the book is meant to be a contrast to the book with men at its centre, his novel ‘The Kite Runner’.

‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is set across a period of near to forty-five years and is set in brutal regimes of the east in the beautiful country of Afghanistan. On the outskirts of the city of Herat, Mariam - the protagonist, lives with her mother Nana in a secluded hut. Born out of wedlock, nobody treats Mariam as one of the family and everyone is angry at her all the time. When Mariam’s father rejects her over and over again, Mariam’s mother finally responds by hanging herself. It is here that Mariam’s father and his three wives rush to get her married off to a man who is thirty years’ older than her and more abusive than she ever could have imagined. Laila runs away from home when it becomes too dangerous to stay and fearing that her friends and family have died in a bomb blast, by fate she comes into contact with Mariam and the two must survive together. Laila becomes intertwined with Mariam’s life and ultimately, someone will have to pay the price of protection - and the price isn’t pretty at all.

I read this book in 2009 and then re-read it in 2012 and 2015. I have never really been away from this book at all. It seems to sum up all the little problems that come with being a woman in South Asian existence and yet, it is much more than that altogether. Psychologically, it can take you to an entirely different place. First of all, you are dropped in 1960s-70s Afghanistan with Mariam growing up from being born in 1959. Then, you are dropped into the 1990s regime of Afghanistan, which is something slightly different and far more brutal in its approach to politics and we also get Laila’s story after she is born in 1978. Two different generations of women who are two entirely different character and yet, seem both to have similar fears and heartbreaks.

The best theme in the whole book is the value of human life. The question of what a human life is worth is constantly questioned throughout. One of the times it is questioned a small amount is when Mariam gets to know that Rasheed was married before he was married to her and his child died after he was drunk when caring for him, the child ended up drowning.

Mariam is quite shocked and yet Rasheed doesn’t seem too concerned at all. The book definitely shows us that the people who take action tend to prevail against those who go towards the political downfall of their country - even if it means paying a price they never thought they would have to pay. Mariam is a symbol of strength through everything. She goes through every single thing that could possibly go wrong for her throughout the novel and still comes out and tries to keep her head above the water. It is extraordinary to witness.

I think that more people should read this book and more people should come to see what Mariam goes through and how she keeps going afterwards. I know I would not have the strength to do what she did but what she did, she did to protect others not herself. The selflessness definitely pushes its way through the novel as acts committed by women in order to save their children, their families or those they care about more than anything in the world. A quality of sacrifice, selflessness and care is also the quality to be human and Mariam is one of the most intensely human characters I have ever read.