The Pukhtun Valor – Review on A Thousand Splendid Suns

It’s not everyday that you get to read a book so exceptionally extraordinary which bounds you to praise the writer every time you’re reminded of it.

Almost three years back, I read this masterpiece of Hosseini and it never stops to amaze me by just reading a famous quote from it. Not only this book taught me the value of courage and determination but also made me realize the importance of women’s rights that need to be laid down strong in the under developing countries. The thing that makes this book stand out of all the others is how anomalously Hosseini being a man penned down the emotions of a woman and how masterly he felt the woman’s pain and inked it down on a paper.

The story centered on two Afghan women; one being the victim of illegitimate birth and the other being the victim of loving a man will set you on a roller coaster of sentiments.

The story of Mariam, her patience to bear a lengthy episode of both physical and mental torture in every possible way and her rage which gives her the courage to commit something no Afghan woman of that age would have ever thought of, is extremely prodigious. And the story of Laila, a winsome teenager entangled in the teenage love cloud and the gruesome set of events which leave her alone is another wondrous drill.

The story evolves with the mother-daughter bond Mariam and Laila develop though being the wives of the same man; Mariam and Laila both set the example of courage, valor, fight for one’s right, love, strength, honesty and the wonders a woman can do when left helpless, doubted and discouraged.

Zujajah Nadeem