Clinging to Hope in the World’s Hell Pit

Review by Chris Manson September 20, 2007 Issue

An extensive knowledge of Afghanistan’s history is not required for you to get the most out of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. This is the involving follow-up to The Kite Runner—still high on the bestseller lists in its paperback incarnation—and solidifies Hosseini’s status as our foremost writer of popular fiction set in the infamous hiding place of Osama Bin Laden.

This is an exhausting journey through Afghanistan’s tumultuous past 40 years or so. Unless you grew up in, say, Detroit, you can only imagine how awful it was to live there — not just under the reign of the Taliban but the brutal Communist leadership that preceded it. And regardless of who’s running the country, life is not peaches and cream when you’re stuck in a horrible forced marriage.

Mariam, the illegitimate daughter of a prominent businessman, lives with her mother in a dilapidated shack. After her mother’s death, Mariam travels to her father’s home where the man’s numerous wives snub her. Mariam is quickly married off to Rasheed, a brutal shop owner. Meanwhile, a young girl named Laila enjoys a friendship with a boy named Tareeq. Laila appears to have a normal life despite the continuing turmoil in her homeland.

The onslaught of bombs and bullets eventually forces Laila and Mariam into each other’s lives. It is the relationship between these two that gives this story its tremendous power. Both are made to endure Rasheed’s humiliations, but these are not women who will cower helplessly in the corner forever. At first, Mariam resents the young woman who becomes Rasheed’s second wife, but before you can say “Duh!” a bond has formed.

Hosseini puts us smack in the center of Kabul with his believable descriptions of everyday life. An amusing interlude focuses on the Titanic fever that spreads throughout the land following the release of James Cameron’s film. When the Taliban assumes control, Rasheed calls them “nice Muslim boys.” We also relive 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. invasion through the eyes of regular Afghan dwellers—the ones who pray five times a day but don’t strap explosives to their bodies.

Mariam’s and Laila’s stories are enough to keep you focused, but Hosseini’s knowledge of the events that shaped Afghanistan is a real bonus. These are not just a bunch of longwinded diversions designed to pad out the book. Hosseini finds the proper context for nonfiction elements that are certain to enlighten readers who have only seen this world through the eyes of CNN and Fox News war coverage.

It’s easy to understand why A Thousand Splendid Suns appeals to so many readers. This is solid storytelling populated by a fascinating cast of characters. Not only do you feel as if you’re living in their skin, you pray they will find their way out of the pit of hell. The final pages are absolutely heartbreaking. What Hosseini lacks in style—the man still seems to be searching for his “voice” -- he makes up for with relentless soul searching.

Riverhead, 384 pages. Available from booksellers and local libraries.

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