A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

Look who's alive! I've gone back and forth recently about whether or not I should keep blogging. I still haven't made up my mind but since I'm on my intern and we practically do nothing on days with no shipment, packing nor orders, and it's like I have all the time in the world for me, I figured I should use it.

I honestly have nothing to rant about in here simply because my life has been nothing but a big huge fat bore lately except for the fact that I deal with fish almost everyday for a month now (I'd blog about my internship later!) and as of right now I'm really keen on doing a book review of A Thousand Splendid Suns by none other than one of my favourite authors, Khaled Hosseini. 

Mind you that this is my first time doing a book review so please don't put too much hope & have high expectations and I'm genuinely sorry if it's not of much help, meh.

✽ ✾ ✿ ❁ ❃ ❋ ❀

I honestly feel like no review I could ever write would do this book justice. I really don't know where to begin with this one. This is a book I've put off reading for years. It's been recommended to me and loaned to me by several friends with the insistence I need to read it, but I always set it aside. As I did when I read The Kite Runner by Hosseini himself, after finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns, I find that I'm asking myself, "How did I NOT read this book sooner?" It has been sitting on my to-read book list for a very, very long time, but I somehow just found myself picking up a copy two days ago from MPH. I am no kicking myself for not having read this book sooner, but I am so glad that I finally did.

I started this book with high expectations. I had been overwhelmed with ever conceivable emotion when I read The Kite Runner and just couldn't believe that this second book of his, could possibly be as good. I have so much admiration for the real voices behind this "fictional" story. Within the first 20 pages, I had fallen for Hosseini's compelling writing, I felt inspired by the wonderfully brave characters, and I learnt a WHOLE LOT.

I was drawn into the world of Mariam and later into Laila's. Although I realized that women were oppressed in Afghanistan, I had no idea to what extent or the brutality they faced. Perhaps even more surprising to me is that these women actually had many freedoms in the past that were later taken away.

This is a novel that readers can easily get invested in. The story is divided into four parts. The first two are both exposition and detail the lives of and backstories of both Mariam and Laila. After reading the first portion of Mariam's touching and heartbreaking story, I won't lie when I say that I was reluctant to read about Laila after investing so much of myself into Mariam's.

Laila's story on the other hand, is so much more hopeful and innocent, I must say. There's real romance woven into Laila's backstory that kept me flipping pages, eager to find out what would come next. And when both characters' lives finally come together, I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page of the book.

I am surprised at how well Hosseini writes from a woman's perspective. Even though I have not experienced most of what Mariam and Laila have, this book still spoke to me in a profound and personal way. It's funny that the things we take for granted, and how fleeting everything really is. It's so easy to forget to be grateful for the luxuries and liberties that we have.

I can't recommend this book to a lot of people, it is not the easiest book to read. It is well-written, powerful, and an amazing book nonetheless, but it is not an emotional trek I'd want to make very often. Hosseini's books do give one a different perspective on life. Overall, it sure was an utterly astonishing, beautiful and heart-breaking read and definitely one of my new all time favourites.

Trust me, this novel will stick with me for a long time.

HATS OFF Khaled Hosseini, even a rating of 5 stars is less than what your book deserve.