In 2007 Khaled
Hosseini the author of
Kite Runner (2003) came up with yet another masterpiece-
A Thousand Splendid
Suns(2007). Although the locale of both the novels is Kabul but
A Thousand Splendid Suns has created its own place in the hearts of the readers. The comparison between
Kite Runner and
A Thousand Splendid Suns is inevitable. Despite various similarities both the novels have their distinct storyline depicting the effect of the social crisis in Afghanistan from different angles. The
Kite Runner beautifully described a father and son relation and a friendship which was never free from the secrets and burdens of the past.
A Thousand Splendid Suns tries to decode a unique sisterhood between Afghan women.
A Thousand Splendid Suns starts with the narrative of Miriam’s life in her kobla, where she is sheltered from the harsh realities of life and the stigma of being a ‘harami’. As her mother commits suicide and the family of the father refuses to keep an illegitimate child, young Miriam is given away to
Rasheed, who is old enough to be her father. Nana’s (Miriam’s mother’s) words- “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always find a woman. Always” - were only too true in Miriam’s case. Fifteen years old Miriam’s dreams were buried with her mother’s grave. She learned the lesson to ‘tahamul’, to endure- the essence of almost every Afghani women’s life- and practiced it even in her death.
Part two of the novel contains the narrative of Laila’s world. Born in a progressive family, she is well educated and believes in gender equality. Her brothers’ involvement in ‘jihad’ is like a foreboding for the future. Her perfect world is shattered as the war curtails her freedom, snatches away her childhood friend and lover- Tariq, and finally orphans her. The world of Miriam and Laila merges together as Laila finds herself pregnant and alone and is thus forced to accept Rasheed’s proposal of marriage. After the initial hostility on Miriam’s side, starts a fascinating tale of womanhood and sisterly relation between the two women.
Even without foregrounding on the politics of Afghanistan,
Hosseini’s readers focus is subtely directed towards the political and historical background of Afghanistan and they feel for the cultural and traditional loss of the Afghans.