A Thousand Splendid Suns (ATSS)

My thoughts and feelings [A Thread]

Cw:Novel/Thread-Rape,Abuse,Domestic Violence/War

ATSS by @khaledhosseini is a novel that tells the story of two women Mariam and Laila on how a mother-daughter relationship is kindled in harrowing circumstances.
The story is set in Afghanistan from the 1960s-2000s.

The story depicts how women are usually the most affected by conflicts, be it at the hands of men,war, or the Taliban (so men) Hosseini tells us what we all know- that women disproportionally bare the brunt of burdens.

This book is sad. Not just sad but it is a nuanced and full story that felt very real and true. The narrative felt personal and that's why it was so hard to get into for me. But once I was in, I didnt stop. I loved it.

AIGHT SO BOOM.Characters (in order of appearance-ish). I genuinely disliked Nana-Mariam's mom. She was abusive/manipulative,that was really triggering for me. She's written with what seems to be MI. Sometimes it feels like it was a reasoning/excuse for her abuse. I dont like dat.

Hosseini deals otherwise with MI/gief/loss/trauma which I think is to be very grounded and true. It did have me crying from jump though so there's that. The Nana/Mariam relationship starts off the book and I think this is why it was hard for me to get into.

So Rasheed is the worst person ever. I see him as a foreshadowing of the coming Taliban rule and what it will do to women. He got what was coming to him.

Mariam was going through it. There was a point when I really disliked her because 1.She really took on blame that she was not meant to-which wasn't her fault but made me upset 2.the way she treated Laila. But at the end I grew to love her.I wish life was kinder and gave her more.

Laila my sweet baby girl I was rooting for her the whole way and in the end I was happy she could find some sort of peace. The days of her youth, her motherhood and relationships (romantic and otherwise) had me swooning.

Hosseini is such a good writer. There were moments where he would throw in the most lyrical and poetic passages that took my breath away. I love the way he captures love and youth and joy and even pain. He really captured me.

I really loved this book. 4.5/5 based purely on my feelings. I'm gonna read it again when I gather emotional strength. You should read it too! Hope you enjoyed this thread!!!!