Thousand Splendid Sons - Day 23 #100HappyDays
Happiness is reading Khaled Hosseini books. There are thousands of books: books from different genres, fiction non-fiction, intense light, tough-read light-read, literature-heavy knowledge-heavy. And then, there are books that melt your heart and bring out those hardened emotions lost in our auto-pilot mode. Books that have a strong story line, so beautifully written that you want to breeze through at some places and re-read at other, break to internalize the story or just read through your next plot twist, simple to read yet lots to ponder. Books which shout out "Simplicity". While Steve Jobs teaches us to "Keep it simple and stupid in the tech world, Khaled Hosseini teaches it in the fiction world. If you thought you are an idiot wasting emotions on a fiction then you are wrong my dear, those are your real empathy tears for people like Laila and Mariam in Afghanistan. Tears which wouldn't otherwise be shed. Historical fiction at its best.
We watch or hear Taliban blasted this town, bomb blast in the neighbouring state, curfew in other. But, most of the times I think we cannot connect, least when it is not our nation. In most cases we feel the pain when it happens to us or someone really close to us. Laila sees and hears her streets, neighbours, neighbouring towns getting bombed. But she moves on. Happy and content with her Baba jo, school and friends. It was only when she lost Giti to one of those devastating bomb blasts that she was shattered. She felt the pain. I felt the pain.
Feeling pain once a while is bearable but enduring it day in and day out?
She tells Mariam she needs only one skill. "Only one skill. And it is this tahamul, Endure."
Mariam, as a 10 year old girl doesn't understand her Nana. We don't understand our mother as a 10 year old kid. After she is forced to marry Rasheed and starts her new life she learns to endure. Our parents endure our tantrums to satisfy every small desire. But we actually understand their sacrifices after we step in those shoes.
Bombs flew left and right while Mariam jo tried her best to keep him Happy. Endured all his temper. She learnt to endure, accepted her life blessed that though a harami she had a husband who gave her shelter in those anti-woman days in Afghanistan. Little did she expect that a bomb could come flying in her life in the form of Laila whom she saw growing as a kid. But as it turned out it was a happy bomb, her life could matter, she could be happy and then she was. She feared but felt composed as she walked in the stadium as she thought....
"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."
She was satisfied. "A person of consequence at last." Probably my biggest fear of life. I am not a harami or born in Afghanistan or had such turbulence in life. I fear being a nobody. I want to be somebody not lost in crowd. As I say, "No life touched is a life wasted."
Thankfully Laila and her family are happily normal in Kabul. Life with happy ending.
Last few thoughts from the literary point of view. It was a poignant book spread over 30 years with a backdrop in Afghanistan during its turmoil. Easy read for a heavy reality which a reader should be thankful for. Though I missed a lot of historical details describing the Afghanistan timeline, I can never forget the novel's impression and picturesque Afghanistan. I personally loved Kite Runner more than Thousand splendid suns. It might be that I read Kite Runner first but can't be 100% sure. In Thousand splendid suns, I think I missed connecting to Laila's character at times. I felt something was lacking between Mariam and Laila's chemistry while Amir and Hassan's chemistry felt natural. That said I am in complete love with Khalid Hosseini's story writing. More emphasis on story than the writing style. A good place to start reading for newbies as they are must-read anyway.
On a personal note, I am in complete love with historical fiction and of course Khaled Hosseini's books. But, I might a long break before I touch his other books. Till then I let my memories settle in pakols and beautiful women in Afghanistan.
We watch or hear Taliban blasted this town, bomb blast in the neighbouring state, curfew in other. But, most of the times I think we cannot connect, least when it is not our nation. In most cases we feel the pain when it happens to us or someone really close to us. Laila sees and hears her streets, neighbours, neighbouring towns getting bombed. But she moves on. Happy and content with her Baba jo, school and friends. It was only when she lost Giti to one of those devastating bomb blasts that she was shattered. She felt the pain. I felt the pain.
Feeling pain once a while is bearable but enduring it day in and day out?
She tells Mariam she needs only one skill. "Only one skill. And it is this tahamul, Endure."
Mariam, as a 10 year old girl doesn't understand her Nana. We don't understand our mother as a 10 year old kid. After she is forced to marry Rasheed and starts her new life she learns to endure. Our parents endure our tantrums to satisfy every small desire. But we actually understand their sacrifices after we step in those shoes.
Bombs flew left and right while Mariam jo tried her best to keep him Happy. Endured all his temper. She learnt to endure, accepted her life blessed that though a harami she had a husband who gave her shelter in those anti-woman days in Afghanistan. Little did she expect that a bomb could come flying in her life in the form of Laila whom she saw growing as a kid. But as it turned out it was a happy bomb, her life could matter, she could be happy and then she was. She feared but felt composed as she walked in the stadium as she thought....
"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."
She was satisfied. "A person of consequence at last." Probably my biggest fear of life. I am not a harami or born in Afghanistan or had such turbulence in life. I fear being a nobody. I want to be somebody not lost in crowd. As I say, "No life touched is a life wasted."
Thankfully Laila and her family are happily normal in Kabul. Life with happy ending.
Last few thoughts from the literary point of view. It was a poignant book spread over 30 years with a backdrop in Afghanistan during its turmoil. Easy read for a heavy reality which a reader should be thankful for. Though I missed a lot of historical details describing the Afghanistan timeline, I can never forget the novel's impression and picturesque Afghanistan. I personally loved Kite Runner more than Thousand splendid suns. It might be that I read Kite Runner first but can't be 100% sure. In Thousand splendid suns, I think I missed connecting to Laila's character at times. I felt something was lacking between Mariam and Laila's chemistry while Amir and Hassan's chemistry felt natural. That said I am in complete love with Khalid Hosseini's story writing. More emphasis on story than the writing style. A good place to start reading for newbies as they are must-read anyway.
On a personal note, I am in complete love with historical fiction and of course Khaled Hosseini's books. But, I might a long break before I touch his other books. Till then I let my memories settle in pakols and beautiful women in Afghanistan.
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