A Thousand Splendid Suns

Sunday Afternoon, originally uploaded by ~Panache.

I have just finished reading this book by Khaled Hosseini. The story is about Mariam and Laila who live in Kabul in Afghanistan. Both women end up marrying this man called Rasheed who treats them appallingly. It might well be a story of many women living in Afghanistan during the 1980s and 1990s - from when the Russians retreated. The Taliban came to power in the early 1990s and women were forced to remain at home, living behind their burqua. It is a story of survival - these women survived more heartache, tragedy and pain than anyone should ever have to endure.

A friendship develops between these two women and they help each other face Rasheed with courage until his demise. Despite the fact that he abused both women dreadfully, Mariam pays for his death with her life which she does with dignity and integrity. Laila manages to leave Afghanistan with her two children when Tariq her childhood lover reappears. They begin a life together in Murree in Pakistan that is peaceful, quiet and happy.

Laila chooses to return to Kabul and pours her life into helping the children in an orphanage - her father and friends many years earlier had predicted that she would leave her mark on Afghanistan.

I had difficulty reading this book as it was confronting and painful. The way women are treated and continue to be treated by fundamentalist Islamic groups is harrowing and inexcusable. However, it is good to be reminded that there are women around the world for whom this type of existence is the norm.