A Thousand Splendid Suns (December with Family)

[Reza, The Curator]

This month we will be readingA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Very popular and should be readily available at your local bookstores. Some of you may have read this one and are welcomed to join the discussion.

This isthe last group read of 2013. Happy reading, happy holiday, and a happy new year!

[Femmy]

Plan to start reading this next week!

Btw, have you guys ever used book club questions to guide the discussion for a book (like this one)? My RL book club used to use them when we met. We took turns answering the questions and I think they improved our discussions and provided more insight about the book.

[Samantha]

So, I cheated a bit - I started early because I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time to read this book. It turned out that I finished early as well, because I was so engrossed that it took me only a couple of days.

4/5
My review is here

Mariam -

“A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her.”

[Samantha]

Btw, have you guys ever used book club questions to guide the discussion for a book (like this one)? My RL book club used to use them when we met. We took tur..."

My edition (ISBN 978-0-7474-9377-5), which is a paperback by Bloomsbury (as sold by Periplus), actually has a question list. It's different from the one you linked to, though. It'd be interesting to see people's responses if everyone agrees on discussing this book based on these questions.

[Rachel, First Lady]

Hey guys!

I also cheated, haha. I started reading last week and I just finished it last night. For me, it's my best read of 2013. So 5 stars from yours truly.

Sure, we can start using questions from reading guides. I think Praesenti and I have the same version of the book.

Let's start with the first question: The novel opens with the sentence, "Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami. How important is that word in the novel? How does Mariam's illegitimacy shape her life?

[Femmy]

I'll start with the first question! (view spoiler)[I think Mariam's illegitimacy determined both how other people treats her and how she sees herself. Obviously, because of her illegitimacy, she has to live practically in isolation with her mother and she has no place in her father's household. This leads her to feel unwanted. She always fears what other people think of her illegitimacy and so she withdrew from offers of friendship from other women in her neighborhood, preferring to hide behind her burqa. I think she also feels that she doesn't deserve love, and that's why she's so accepting of the treatment she received from Rasheed. She never has anyone stand up for her, so the fact that Laila stops Rasheed from beating her one time really means a lot to her. (hide spoiler)]

Any other thoughts?


Next question: "The next time Mariam signed her name to a document, twenty-seven years later, a mullah would again be present". Khaled Hosseini foreshadows events, both domestic and national, at many points throughout A Thousand Splendid Suns. What effect does this have?

Whose turn is it now? Rachel? Praesenti? Has anyone else finished the book?

[Coqueline]

I read the book, but I'm not really good with literary analysis, so I'm not sure I know how to answer that question, unfortunately.

For me personally, the book was a depressing one. I found it appalling that there are still human beings treated in indignity and oppressed by systematic inequality.

[Cininta]

I read the book, been finished with it for a while now, I'm not sure how to answer the second question, but for the first question I thought that the fact that Mariam knows and is always reminded that she is a harami made her think that she doesn't deserve a good life. Like all the bad things that happens to her she deserves it, that's why she endures it all, just like her mom tells her to.

I thought the book was really interesting, are the things said about the conditions in Afghanistan true? It's horrible! C-section without anesthesia? *cringe* reusing rubber gloves? *the horror*

[Femmy]

It seems that no one is interested in question 2 (including me!). Here's question 3: "But it was the women who drew Mariam’s eyes the most". What is it that fascinates Mariam about the women of Kabul, and why does it capture her attention? How are women treated by the various regimes that take control of Afghanistan? How are the main female characters portrayed in the novel? To what extent do these portrayals differ from any preconceptions that you may have had about women in Afghanistan?

[Femmy]

@Cininta, I remember watching an interview of an Afghani ambassador with a news channel (maybe CNN?). If I remember correctly, it's true that the Taliban don't allow women to be treated by men doctors. I think he said that they wanted women to be treated by women doctors in women's hospitals, or girls to be taught by women teachers in girl's schools. They didn't discuss the conditions in these hospitals or schools, though.