A Thousand Splendid Suns: Heart-wrenching

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Powerful. Moving. Thought-Provoking.Deep.

The details so life-like and the situations so agonizing. A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a poignant story that'll move you and leave you wondering about the adversities that dwell beyond our comfortable world. An account set against the turbulent war background in Afghanistan, painted through the words of two women whose lives are weaved together in a place where happiness and hope have dried up like parched lips in drought. A male author's description of such tragic incidents has amazed me. The characters represent typical Afghani  women and the sufferings they endured during the war period. The analogies drawn make the narration so staggeringly beautiful and deep.For instance, the characteristic of earthquake to be more dangerous in depth yet appearing as mere tremors on surface is so aptly compared with Aziza's condition in orphanage. She is so happy outside, hardlya reflection of what boils deep inside.

These lines below are  kind of a spoiler, if you haven't read, but need mention here just because without it the review is incomplete. Indispensably, they capture the gist.

Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate belongings.

So, if you haven't realized what Afghan war did to the innocents, read this book to enlighten you about the hardships that entailed. Don't miss the opportunity to be a listener to one of the most heart-wrenching tale ever told or at least ever read by me. A tale of overcoming harships and biting bad time, in wait of the good. As a line says:

" Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.”

PS: Looking forward to Khalid Hosseini's The Kite Runner, only that I already have seen the movie. Still the narrative of the book will be unparalled, I have gauged !