Picking
up “A thousand splendid suns” from the magician who had created “The kite runner” my
hope was sky-high. I expected the book to be as wonderful as his first one. This,
very, expectation is the worst thing one can have. It would play dirty tricks
with your heart. It will amplify the unsatisfied feeling you have. It will make
you believe that you are offered a bowl of rice, when you were expecting a
feast.
Apologies,
Khaled Hosseini!
He
may never read this blog post, but it was my responsibility to apologize to
him. As I had failed to keep expectation at bay. Had I not known him, had I not
read his debut book, had I not expected anything, I would have definitely
enjoyed the book more.
Of
course, I have enjoyed reading the book. But we are human beings and we want
everything MORE.
The
story is narrated in first person through the eyes of two female protagonists
Mariyam and Laila. They are not linked with each other, until the book reaches
the third section. An incident results in one entering into other’s life. The
story changes from there and mostly you would sense what is coming.
Here,
it would not be wrong if a reader feels the incident was inserted.
Since,
nothing much was happening in the book until that point. It certainly was the
case with me. I felt the centre portion was sagging and the author was trying
to find ways to move it ahead.
Trying
to give a meaningful twist.
The
narration was good and descriptions vivid. Being a talented author, Hosseini
could describe each scene and incident perfectly. You can see it happening in
front of your eyes. You can feel the pain.
You
will feel helpless, as Mariam.
You
will be pained, as Laila.
You
will be angry with the Taliban (here, he has repeated the rules by Taliban as
in The Kite Runner).
However,
at the end you will be left wanting for……more. Read it if you like emotionally
charged, which is close to real life. Don’t expect a joy read at any point in
the book.
Pros:
Beautifully articulated emotions, strong female characters.
Cons:
Storyline, too much Afghanistan, forcefully inserted scenes.
Rating:
3.5/5
