28 juli, 2016
A thousand splendid suns *****
Posted in : Uncategorized on by : Lotte Tags: 5 stars, Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini, Taliban
“A society has no chance of success, if its women are uneducated.”
As a woman living in Denmark, it is not often I think about the amount of freedom that I have – it is just something I take for granted. I am, of course, aware that there are women in other countries that do not experience the same amount of freedom, but with this book Khaled Hosseini made the picture of oppression real and much more clear to me.
As with The Kite Runner this book is set in Afghanistan and spans over the period from the Soviet invasion till the rule of the Taliban. It is a tale of tragic history and the use of religion as a mean of controlling people, but also about courage and the strong bonds between women.
We follow the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila. Their backgrounds could not be more different, but circumstances joins their lives and fates as wives of Rasheed. Their struggle to find hope in a world where women are valued less than livestock, where oppression is an everyday thing and where the Taliban decides the fate of man, really makes an enthralling journey through the life and culture of Afghanistan.
Following the two women through the hardship, and seeing how they form a strong bond, is heartbreaking but also heartwarming, as their mutual strength sees them growing into courages women with hopes and dreams for the future.
Forget everything you think you know about Afghanistan and let Hosseini paint you a picture of the lives of real people – and when you are done, look around you and be grateful for the life you have.