Author: Khaled Hosseini 
First published: 2007

A Thousand Splendid Suns was a Christmas present, not something I would usually pickup. Ok maybe select because of the title and cover and put back on the shelf  as the back blurb is blatantly depressing. Finished reading a few weeks ago, but one one those books where certain scenes stay with you, and not in  a good way.

The relationships between characters before the wars is in stark contrast with the aftermath of each sequential war. The detailed status of women and children is extremely distressing. The character Mariam has no joy after leaving her home, mother and life after simply venturing out to explore the claim upon her father.

The love story between Tariq and Laila is touching. The alliance formed between Laila and Mariam for survival and the determination to protect their children at all costs is heart-wrenching, especially moments where they have to shield their daughter Aziza from the wrath of her step-father Rasheed, or when Laila ignores beatings and other humiliations from the Taliban to make the trip unaccompanied by a male to visit her child at the orphanage.

There are details on different families with broader views such as Laila’s parents; and interesting characters such as the the kind Mullah Faizullah who tutor’s Mariam as a child; the once fearless school teacher and mentor reduced to shielding her children the same as any other woman; the female doctor’s now performing surgery in chadors with no anaesthetics, at an old school as the hospitals are reserved for men.

There are few moments of inspiration and joy in this 372 page bleak narrative. The misery, suffering, and violence experienced by the women is catalogued in explicit detail, what is missing is detail on their thoughts and emotions.

This is a hit and miss for me, not one I will read again, perhaps just pass on to someone else. Borrow from the library if you must. Dismal, dismal, dismal.

For a recent book on Afganisthan prefer the non-fiction The Sleeping Buddha by Hamida Ghafour.