Tharindu Dissanayake's Reviews > A Thousand Splendid Suns

"A face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested, a destiny submitted to and endured."

This must have been the longest time I had waited to review a fiction after finishing the book. Even after a week, I still haven't fully recuperated from the emotional blow of A Thousand Splendid Suns... Painful, heartbreaking, but quite beautiful in a very sad way. Hosseini has improved upon what he did with Kite Runner, if that's even possible, in every conceivable way imaginable to give the reader another masterpiece! I loved every little thing about this book.

"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."

When I finished Kite Runner before, it became clear how impactful Hosseini's story telling is: It was tragic yet beautiful in a unique way. I had thought I was prepared to pretty much anything the author could throw at me after that. But A Thousand Splendid Suns, for me, was a far more difficult read. Unlike in Kite Runner, Hosseini does not hold back when it comes to unfolding Mariam and Laila's story. Saying that reading through the abuse and other privations of the two protagonists was shocking would be a huge understatement. Everything felt too real to be consoled otherwise. In the Afterwards section, I did come across about Hosseini's work in UNHCR, and maybe it's his firsthand experience that made the portrayal this authentic.

"It's our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It's all we have."

The author continues to use his simple, and straightforward writing style which suits perfectly to the atmosphere he creates in these stories. But, even if one finds the writing style to be lacking in flavor, when the story telling is this good, most would never be bothered by anything else. And when you add Hosseini's flawless character development, it's impossible not to fall in love with this book. But where I saw the most significant improvement is in the plot, which stole the spotlight away from character department. The life story of the two protagonists -Mariam and Laila- allows the reader to peak in to a couple of lives heavily affected not only by war, but their journey amidst various domestic difficulties, providing the reader with another unique opportunity to empathize with Afghan people, and specifically from a woman's point of view this time. Instead of coming across hateful stories about Taliban and terrorism in general, it's enlightening to see the events from a perspective like this, which enables any reader to understand the bitter reality, along with the fact that countless thousands of people are experiencing worse circumstances in such countries. Even though it is fiction, I think it's commendable, and remarkable, what Hosseini does with these stories, as they help shift any reader's opinion about the people who are affected by wars in such countries.

"People, she believed now, shouldn't be allowed to have new children if they'd already given away all their love to their old ones. It wasn't fair."

Everything else that was good about Kite Runner is still here, from pace, flow of events, and handling of emotions to the ending. Oh, that ending! I rarely admire a sad ending, but Hosseini is definitely the exception. During the middle part of the book, even though I loved everything, I didn't see myself giving a rating higher than 4-stars, but the concluding chapters broke me down and changed everything. Now I feel like there aren't enough starts to do justice.

"As she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her."
"One last time, Mariam did as she was told."

It's not every day that I get to shelf two consecutive books from the same author as all-time-favorites. Honestly, I was not expecting this to be better than the first, and thought there might even be some repetitiveness. This is anything but that! If you loved Kite Runner, it is most likely that you will have an even better reading experience with this ATSS. However, be warned that the emotional impact this delivers is far more profound, leaving one with tears for quite a while. Unlike with Kite Runner, the luxury of hiding the despicable actions of villains, which left many horrific events to readers' imagination, is gone. But at the end of the day, just like with Kite Runner, it's worth every second... it's worth the heartbreak... it's worth evert tear... Another must-read-for-all from Hosseini.

"A young Mariam is sitting at the table making a doll by the glow of an oil lamp. She's humming something. Her face is smooth and youthful, her hair washed, combed back. She has all her teeth."

"The little girl looks up. Puts down the doll. Smiles. Laila jo?"