A Thousand Splendid Suns - Book Review (10/10)

After reading the Kite runner, I was impressed with Khaled Hosseini. His ability to churn out a tale of such depth and passion, driven by his love for his country enchanted me. Obviously, after every first novel, readers expectantly & impatiently wait for the second novel from the author with expectations that are high (obviously, if his first one is a good one). Many novelists fail to deliver the same quality in their second book for obvious reasons, one being that the first book was a story they wanted to tell, and the second one was a story the chose to tell. Chetan bhagat for example went hurtling down in the quality of his books. 'One night at the call center' miserably failed in comparision to his first book (not in terms of book sales, but in terms of book quality. His book sales were driven due to the success of his first book). I dont understand how his books manage to sell faster than hot pancakes. Coming back to Hosseini, I expected him to be a one book author. A doctor, writing part time, and writing about a subject close to his heart, Afghanistan. He already had told a tale about his home country in the first book. What more could he tell now. I thought to myself, if he chose to write a book on any other subject other than Afghanistan, the chances that his book would fail would be big.

But all of these doubts were put to rest when the book was out. "A Thousand Splendid Suns". I can easily say that this is one of the most emotionally moving stories I have ever read. I have never shed a tear over a book, but shed dozens over this one. Hosseini manages to pierce your heart with a thousand swords, and keeps twisting and yanking them throughout the story, and inflicts pain equivalent to what a lady would experience when giving birth to a thousand splendid sons ;). In case you don't feel the pain that the protagonists of the story feel, you certainly are a person with a heart as hard as a rock.

This is a story of two afghan women across generations who are from different backgrounds, but suffer a similar fate. The story of their pains, their sorrows, their friendship, their struggles, their country and their hope (or lack of it). Hosseini wonderfully starts with two separate stories, and then goes on to merge the stories together. It is a love story, between two lovers, and between two friends. The ability that Hosseini possesses to bring to life images in the readers mind is astounding. The resplendent image of old Afghanistan to the intimidating character of Rasheed ,the nuances of his mannerisms to fear he projects, the turmoil in Mariam to the determination in Laila. Everything is wonderfully woven, considering that the writing style of Hosseini is comparatively simpler. You almost feel that you yourself are present in the rooms in which the characters interact, and unfold the tale. The backdrop for the story is the History of Afghanistan. it flaunts itself like a large velvet curtain of vivid colours hanging behind an incredible performance on stage. When you are made aware of the horrors that the people of Afghanistan had to go through, you will certainly shudder. It is like a lesson in the History of Afghanistan, camouflaged with a story of profound strength.

The last part of the story, or BOOK IV, is a part that moves without the turmoil present throughout the book. But this is the part that made me cry the most. Read it, and you will know why.

There many areas about the book that I would like to write about, but that would spoil the fun for you, in case you haven't read the book. This is one of those books that you cant even think of not missing. A book that will help you love your near and dear ones better. A book that will essentially teach you or show you how fortunate you are to be living in a place with almost no turmoil or sorrow. For the brilliance of Hosseini's story telling, for his ability to create a storm of emotions in the reader, for his projection of the History of his country so well and for many other reasons that has made this book a best seller, I give it a score of 10/10.