The day Mariam’s Nana spewed the word ‘Harami’ (bastard), Mariam felt unwanted, like an outcast. Mariam eagerly waited for Jalil whom she adored dearly to cross the knee high grass and visit her kolba (home). Unlike her mother, she loved having visitors, her favourite being Jalil, her father. Nana disapproved of Jalil, whom she felt was a rich man constantly feeding her lies.
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam”
Nana often indulged in a engaging conversation revolving around how bastard children have no claim to property and other legal obligations. Betrayal cast its ugly shadow on Mariam when she was least expecting it. Mariam whose world was confined to the walls of her Kolba felt the knot in her stomach tighten.In the year during the socialist uprising, Laila was born in the neighbourhood where Mariam lived with her husband. She was torn between allegiances of her parents. Her father spoke in high regard of the soviet while her mother pledged support to the Mujaheddin. Laila found comfort in the company of her friends and one legged Tariq. The internal conflict in Afghanistan mirrored the emotions Laila was fighting within.Laila and Mariam form an unlikely bond amidst flying rockets and charred bodies.
“She was eager for the three cups of chai she and Laila would share in the yard, a nightly ritual now.”
Khaled Hosseini’s writing style draws you in from the first page to the land of Afghanistan which was once a land of Minarets, great floral beauty and recognised worldwide as birthplace of Sufi saints. He has described intricate details of the characters such that they will remain with you for a long time. The evocative words, the verbose narration will force a tear or two.
‘A thousand splendid suns’ is a heart wrenching tale set in war-torn Afghanistan spanning two generations. This book offers a mirror to socio-political unrest in Afghanistan.
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