Reviews with content warning for Death - A Thousand Splendid Suns

as i said to my english teacher, i am outraged that someone could write a book this sad and sleep peacefully (and rich, may i add) at night. i came so close to crying so many times and the only reason i didn’t is because my parents are in the room. this book is amazingly disgustingly sad and i love it but oh my god it’s so unnecessarily sad and technically somewhat realistic WHICH JUST MAKES IT EVEN MORE SAD. my therapist (who doesn’t exist, but say i did have one) will be hearing about this book.

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alvallah's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I feel that this book was beautifully balanced, just as The Kite Runner was. But unlike The Kite Runner, this novel presents the stories of women; their struggles, their dreams, their disappointments, their bravery and tenderness, and their relationships with each other. His characters’ histories and personalities are intimately fleshed out in a way that makes them believable, intriguing, and emotionally impactful. It was a treat to watch them evolve over the course of Afghan history (from the 70’s through the 00’s), how they react to historical events and politics and how this shapes their inner domestic lives.

The novel is also as informative as it is heart wrenching, especially if you aren’t already familiar with the politics and recent history of the region. Hosseini artfully navigates issues of politics, authoritarianism, the oppression of women, and suppression of civil liberties without being heavy handed or lazy. These issues are organically taught through the experiences of the characters so that they are memorable and personal.

The novel is closed by offering a glimmer of sunshine to balance the darkness, which I personally love. I think that when authors write stories drenched in tragedy and outrage it’s important to also remark on the resiliency of the human spirit and our capacity to create and find beauty despite everything. I think Khaled Hosseini is one of those authors that actually acknowledges the flowers that can bloom after all the suffering. So for those of you tired of pessimistic endings I recommend this book as I feel it was down-to-earth and still hopeful.

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