Lives in turbulence
Ditio Syed-Haq admires a tale enmeshed in politics
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Riverhead Books
It's not often that a work of literary fiction successfully crosses the divide into the popular mainstream, but with the publication of his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, author Khaled Hosseini has achieved precisely that for the second time running. Following the spectacular success of his debut The Kite Runner in 2003 -- interestingly, the first novel published in English by an Afghan author -- A Thousand Splendid Suns is a heart-wrenching tale of endurance, betrayal and an indestructible friendship set in the backdrop of over four decades of the social and political landscape of Afghanistan. Deriving its title from a poem about Kabul by a seventeenth-century Persian, the story chronicles the lives of two women whose destinies become inseparably entwined through a series of personal and, subsequently, common misfortunes.
Mariam is only fifteen when she is married to a man thirty years her senior in a bitter and spiteful relationship that is set from the start to test the limits of her endurance. Almost twenty years later, tragedy then forces fifteen-year-old Laila to set foot in Mariam's troubled household. In a relationship beginning with hostility and ending in unconditional love, the women form an unlikely bond that transcends the crippling circumstances of their bleak existence. Alternating between the companionship of sisters to the intense love between a mother and child, Hosseini demonstrates through his characters that, ultimately, it is love that triumphs over sorrow.
Through this powerful and moving storyline, the author manages to weave the turbulent political events of the times -- from the Soviet occupation to the intense infighting between the Mujahideen, eventually culminating in the age of Taliban rule and beyond. Readers will find themselves at once presented with the gentle message of love and kindness at the heart of Islam and also the mindless and savage brutality that ensues when this message is misinterpreted and manipulated for political gain. This is a sobering portrayal of the horrific realities of living in a country at war and Hosseini uses multiple plot-devices on the recurring themes of fear, uncertainty, separation and grief to considerable dramatic effect. Consequently, the plot, whilst being somewhat predictable at times, still manages to stay fresh and original. Serious readers will also not fail to notice the total absence of cliché in any form. There is a uniqueness to Hosseini's writing that expresses even the most mundane of everyday events in ways new and unexplored. The end-result is a touching and often tear-inducing account of life in an age dominated by conflict and in a setting that is all-too topical for modern times.
But perhaps the greatest achievement of this book is not in Hosseini's effortless prose and the heartfelt tenderness with which he brings his characters to life; it is the way in which he skillfully draws into the arena of public awareness the plight of millions of untold sufferers and victims in a country ravaged by decades of violence. These efforts have not gone unnoticed and, in 2006, he was made goodwill envoy to the UNHCR with whom he currently tours war and disaster-stricken communities around the globe.
This is a novel of epic proportions and unreservedly establishes Hosseini on the international scene as a master of his craft. With work underway by Columbia Pictures on an adaptation for the big screen, this is one of the books that is almost certain to find its way into your hands in one way or another over the months ahead. Don't miss it.
Ditio Syed-Haq is a UK-based writer and freelance contributor to The Daily Star.
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