Hamshira

It's been awhile since my days of reading books got corrupted with reality, and I have to say, it's good to remind myself of who I am and what I like to do, and how reading, more often than not, has helped me to gain perspective in several aspects of life. And what better way is there, to celebrate such moment, other than purchasing a book that had been a rave in many best seller list 7 years ago?

I pretty much believe in NYT's Best Sellers, even though of course, I'd rather pick a book based on the reviews I've read and decide for myself whether it will be suitable for me. I have never read Khaled Hosseini's books before, even though his latest, And The Mountains Echoed, has been out since last year (I have, however, seen The Kite Runner film. It made me wince and cry like a baby) The reason why is a bit stupid, but it's simply because I don't really believe in the big names that major bookstores around the world just put them on the featured shelves by default, despite what the reviews say. I had experienced something like this many times. It's probably because I picked the wrong book, but anyway, I picked A Thousand Splendid Suns because I think I would like it. It's got so many elements that I love from a book. First of all, it's historical fiction, which is my personal favourite; and secondly, because it talks about humanity. It's not about women, it's not about Afghanistan, no. It's about being human and alive during the wartime. It's about something that I have yet to see with my very own set of eyes. It's about something that I can never imagine having. And mostly, it's about learning the choices human have in that time; because I believe that no matter how desperate, we will always have a choice.

It's a tale about love, about Afghanistan, the country that I could only see through my TV screen how very grey and dusty, and ruined, they are. Reading a book like this gave me perspective; that even a country that seems to be mostly in ruins now, who had witnessed so much war, and blood, and rotting bodies, is still a land of paradise to the people. That it is still home, to its people. That once, before weapons and power-hungry men invaded their land, it was a beautiful place to be. It was home. It was a piece of heaven put into the world.

But mostly, it is about endurance. It tells the story of two women from different generation, Mariam and Laila, who endured so much of their life, that they ended up bent in places. That's what happens to people, you know. Human, physically and mentally, was created to endure the things beyond what we could imagine. Even in extreme desperation, we endure. The characters are so vivid; so real, and so alive. There are so many layers in each one of them, it's like they're in 3D. There is no black and white; there is black within white, and white within black, and there are other colours; which is the truth that each one of us secretly holds. No one is a pure saint and no one is purely sinner; do you know how impossible it is to stay extremely right or left?

All in all, I love it. Usually, I finished a book in 3-7 days, or much longer, because, you know, I'm a lazy reader. But it doesn't take me more than 24 hours to finish this book. There is something about the way Hosseini tells his story that is so compelling and bewitching, that I could not even put this book down and let Buzzfeed's fun and brainless stories distract me. It's very enjoyable, and shattered your heart many times, but you'll end up a better person after reading (Okay, that doesn't happen to me, but I suppose it should) Highly recommended, especially for you, hamshira.