A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
Author: Khalid Hosseni
After a spellbinding tale in his first book, The Kite Runner, Mr Hosseni once more spins an ALMOST similarly delicious and engaging saga in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Delicious yes, but the aftertaste leaves a thousand unanswered questions.
Unlike TKR, which is written from a first person’s point of view, thus I found easier to be immersed in the character’s mind, ATSS is being told mainly from two women’s perspectives. Often, as the reader, I have had to switch gears in order to follow their train of thoughts.
The story is pretty predictable. And there’s hardly any hidden plot or intricate twist (as you would find in TKR). And when I was done with it, I did not find have the satisfying burp, as you would after a fine, delectable cuisine.
I’ve voiced out the many WHYs to Hubs, who has read the book, and even after discussing about it, albeit briefly, I am still unsatisfied. I felt the characters could have done what they eventually did much earlier in the story. And the near-conclusion – I have to ask – if it is being set during the Taliban era, I would imagine that it would not be so easy for a lone and poor woman with children in tow to move from one county to another.
Those apart, ATSS does not disappoint, especially in highlighting the restricted movement allowed for women during the Taliban era. I marvel at how Mr Hosseni, being a man, can be so sensitive and sympathetic to the plight of these unfortunate women. I will always remember the scene where one character has to endure a Caesarian surgery without any anesthesia (only hospitals for men were equipped with drugs and the proper medical instruments) – how she fought, how she struggled, and how she hang on before eventually letting the world hear the pain she was undergoing.
The TRUIzM
ATSS fails to move me as much as TKR, over which I cried oceans. However, I would still recommend this, as the engaging storyline, though predictable, is being weaved in a very intricate and beautiful manner. It is a waste not to devour it.
