The clock is always ticking- it never stops or halts due the presence of any circumstances in anyone’s lives. Its hands move second by second, leaving each resolving moment in the past. The inevitability of it causing the situations to pass by without proper greeting or understanding. These circumstances that are endured in the face of time, are the ones that always allows a person to shape their identity.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a book by Khaled Hosseini, also well-known as the author of The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns describes the parallel stories of Laila and Mariam, who face adversity in their past, and struggle to cope with these uncertainties in present time. Set in war-torn Afghanistan, the stories of Laila and Mariam are explored with an onset of the adversities or ‘wars’ that have occurred in their lives from their childhood. Mariam is described a harami, an illegitimate child who is born out of wedlock, quite untypical to the surroundings at the time of her birth. Her mother Nana makes it known to her that she would never have access to “legitimate claims such as love, belonging, or acceptance,” and Jalil only offers to make connection with her as a form of penance of what he thinks was a ‘sinful’ act. He never accepts Nana or unconditionally loves Mariam as they would be a stain to his reputation. On the other hand, Laila is born years later, on a revolutionary day, like her revolutionary acts. Her father and Tariq (her best friend) is very supportive of her, and empowers her to fufill her education. However, she lacks the affection of her mother who is grieving the loss of Laila’s brothers who died in the Afghan war.Â
Left to suffer to the consequences of time, Laila and Mariam end up meeting and living in a house together. Laila and Mariam’s struggle to find acceptance and belonging is still evident, but they begin to adjust their surroundings in a war-torn city as well as their internal wars, after finding them with each other. In other words, they find each other to cope through their faces of time.Â
Ultimately, their ability to reconcile with the uncertainties of their past, allows them to conquer their circumstances, and overcome with a stronger identity. As they are able to to reconcile with the differences of their past, they are able to overcome their present situation, and emerge with stronger identities. Mariam is able to find the legitimate claim to all the things that she had since deserved such as love and acceptance, and even claim a legitimate end. Laila is able to find the affection of a mother through Mariam, and utimately overcome her adversities, and accomplish everything revolutionary in Kabul for her parents and Mariam through her eyes.
Overall, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a very powerful and endearing story that I would recommend to read. I have learned so many lessons, from this truly heart-breaking yet beautiful novel. As I found it inspiring, I wanted to share this novel with all of you as motivation to read more books in the upcoming year. Oftentimes with the impending stress of academics, extra-curriculars, and applications, it is hard to prioritize self-care, so I hope this encourages you to read this novel or any other novels into the upcoming year.Remember, the clock will always be ticking…
