T = A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

 

“Tell your secret to the wind, but don’t blame it for telling the trees.” ― Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns

This book was very moving. It chronicles the lives of two women Miriam and Laila, who will become child brides under very different circumstances, to the same man. Takes place from the time of Soviet occupation to Taliban and finally Al-Queda.

I feel like I want to focus on some of the more abhorrent character interactions for this review, the things that sensitive readers are bound to hate (and there's nothing wrong with that, if it isn't your cup of tea).

Miriam is given to a man significantly older than herself by a family who is ashamed of her, while Laila chooses to marry this man to cover up that she had a family that loved her. Rasheed then proceeds to consummate the marriage, which by our modern day, first world standards, is a crime. By basic humanitarian standards, this is a crime. It's statutory rape, it's legal pedophilia. This is also a thing that happens. In Afghanistan, and other countries, this is a reality for many girls.

Rasheed, who considers himself a traditional Muslim, believes firmly in keeping his women "controlled." They will wear a burka, they will not leave the house without him, they will take care of the house, they will bear him only sons...They will be severely beaten if they don't comply. Miriam cannot conceive and Laila's first child is a girl. They get used to being beaten. This too is a thing that happens. It's possible to shame a wife for having the wrong gender baby. It's possible to shame a wife for not being able to concieve. It's possible to beat your wife half to death, hold a gun to her head, lock her away from society...It happens. And not just in the Middle East. Spousal abuse and domestic violence occur EVERYWHERE.

Laila grows up under the shadow of war. Her older brothers went off to jihad and never came home. Her mother pined away for her lost sons, at Laila's expense, right up until her last breath. Both Laila and Miriam lived their lives listening to the sounds of guns and missiles. Friends died in the streets, or in their own houses, as stray bullets and bombs found their way into civilian neighborhoods. Innocents caught in the crossfire. This happens. We lose sight of the fact that there are real people trying to live and every war waged costs the lives of people who aren't involved in conflict. People with children, parents, siblings, lovers, friends... Real people killed for no reason at all. This happens. It's a reality of war.

This is largely a story of perseverance. Laila and Miriam will have to overcome their hardships in the way that makes the most sense to themselves. They will have to overcome their country's hardships to protect their family from the never-ending battles just outside their door. And it's a reminder for, and of, humanity.