A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Awesome book so far. I am not too far into it, but I can tell that I'm really going to enjoy it. I have not read Kite Runner, but it's by the same auther. So all of you Kite Runner fans, make this your 2nd quarter book. It also ties in really well with what we've been studying in AP world, if any of you take that class.
The main character in this novel is Mariam. She's a young girl (around the age that a girl would go to school, so maybe beween 6 and 10) who lives with her mom, Nana in the outskirts of a town in Afghanistan, Gul Daman. Mariam has a curious and outgoing personality, though she is sheltered from the "real world." Jalil is Mariam's selfish, inconsiderate father. He is a rich movie cinema owner who lives in the city of Gul Daman. Jalil comes to visit Mariam once a week, with a false expression of love. He buys the approval of Mariam by giving her fancy gifts. Mariam's mom, Nana has a significant role in the beginning. She is pessimistic, but for a reason. Once a maid in Jalil's house, she became pregnant with Mariam and was banished to the outskirts. Nana is a victim of her own sadness and depression.
Nana struggles simply with living out her life. The unfairness of her situation eats away at her, and it pains her to see Mariam find the good in things. Mariam is fond of Jalil because he "seems nice." When Nana tries to tell her the truth about Jalil, Mariam doesn't believe her. Mariam even goes over to try and live with Jalil. STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nana deals with all of her disappointment by hating the world and everyone in it (including Mariam.) Finally, Nana decides she's had enough and ends her own life by hanging herself. Nana's actions demonstrate how hard life must have been for a women in Afghanistan.
Nana, reminds me a lot of Richard's mom, in Black Boy. After Richard's dad left, his mom became a little depressed and let out a lot of anger on her kids. Nana is so upset that she often calls Mariam a harami or a @%*&$. After Mariam accidentally broke Nana's sugar bowl, Nanna screamed "You are a clumsy little harami this is my reward for everything I've endured. An heirloom-breaking, clumsly little harami" (4). Both mothers are abusive to their child partly because of an act of their husband.
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