(Images are taken from the Goodreads website link attached to the title of the book)
(Included are my ratings and my personal descriptors of the book.)
April 2018:
1) A Thousand Splendid Suns ~ Khaled Hosseini (420 of 420 pages) (5/5 Stars)
(A Look Into the Aspects of Human Strength, Hope, and Loss, An Immersive Experience Into the Characters’ Feelings and Motivations, An Emotional Rollercoaster)
Total Pages Read: 396 pages (13 pages/day)
After reading The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini ceases to amaze me in his ability to convey such a raw and emotional story. A Thousand Splendid Suns follows two characters, Mariam and Laila, who face the challenge of being a woman in the country of Afghanistan over the time periods of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and when the Taliban regime takes over. This is a novel that exemplifies the themes of sacrifice, motherhood, adversity, maturity, and especially the themes of strength and hope, which equips Mariam and Laila to overcome these adversities.
In both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, there is something that makes Mr. Hosseini’s novels unique. First, his ability to create an authentic and genuine plotline that coincides with the real world events. In choosing to write about Afghanistan and the normalcy before war, the turbulence during war, and the rebuilding after the war, this shows his dedication to bringing awareness to something not many think about, especially for young individuals like me. For that, I greatly appreciate. Second, the way he structures and formats his writing in his novels. As a reader and writer, I must applaud his ability to include so many one-liners because they do justice. The number of times he gives implicit details about the situation, a shift character’s motivations, and a shift in the progression of the time periods through subtle and concise sentences speaks volumes to his craftsmanship for literature and heavily influenced my experience as a reader. And lastly, his ability to create and maintain the identity of each distinct character. Throughout the novel, we see the ups and downs Mariam has with the ideas of idealism vs. reality, reignited hope, and sacrifice, along with Laila maintaining that unconventional way of life throughout her adulthood until the very end of the novel. With the overall concept of character development of Mariam, Laila, Rasheed, and many others in the book, this allowed readers to receive insight about the human condition through changes in character motivations and Mr. Hosseini’s artful way of writing.
I truly enjoyed and was honoured to read Mr. Hosseini’s novel, and would HIGHLY recommend this book to others. My goal for next month is to read either The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy or The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
