A Thousand Splendid Suns

“Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.” The cruel but genuine warning Nana had for her bastard daughter, Mariam, reveals part of the cores of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The abusive violence Afghan women suffer from men, and the overwhelming love between women of the same husband, consisted the breath-taking novel.

Born to different families with distinct values, lives of Mariam and Laila were entwined by wars and sorrow. Living in a remote cabin along with her mother, Mariam was an illegitimate girl. Though humble yet naive, Mariam’s innocence led to the suicide of her mother and her arranged marriage to a savage widower much older than her. Another key person of this novel, Laila, a well-educated girl from a common middle-class family, was separated from her parents and beloved boyfriend by a miss rocket, and thus had no choice but to marry Mariam’s husband helplessly under the tough situation of wars.

The leading roles of the novel, Mariam and Laila, are the two I admired the most throughout the novel. The endurance and sacrifice they kept in the face of endless abuse transformed them from simple-hearted girls to matured yet wise women. Despite the twenty-year gap between their ages, Mariam and Laila developed a close bond of love and mutual support as if they were mother and daughter for they lost their family at such a young age.

Another distinctive part of the novel is the background setting of Afghanistan, a mystery Muslim country. Born and grew up in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the author, Khaled Hosseini, portrayed his homeland realistically, from its religious belief to the turmoil of its politics. What makes this country attractive lies in its religion, the Muslim, which is comparatively rare around us in Taiwan. Ranging from strict sexual discrimination to unique festivals, the description of the amazing culture makes this novel not just unique but impressing.

To me, reading this novel was like listening to the murmur of a close friend of mine. The narration is so easy of access that I would resonate with Mariam and Laila easily. I couldn’t helping wandering what decision I would make if I were them? Would I make better choices than them when it comes to survival? It turned out that it requires enormous courage to risk their lives and to sacrifice for their love though I’m much older than them then.

The amazing novel attracted me to read it over and over, but I would never forget the very first time I finished it. It was a warm afternoon in winter. When I came to the last paragraph of the novel, Laila and her families were discussing the name of their upcoming baby. “But the game involves only male names. Because, if it's a girl, Laila has already named her.” The underlying fact that Laila would name her baby girl Mariam, especially after Mariam sacrificed herself to save Laila, blurred my eyes with tears right away. I suddenly figured out the most important lesson Hosseini had for me, the overwhelming power of love.