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BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Month: August, 2021
Theme: A Book About Afghanistan

* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.


I heard wonderful things about the The Kite Runner that I was going to read that one until I found out that the Portuguese edition of A Thousand Splendid Suns was renewed recently (with a beautiful cover, by the way) and I just decided to buy it, have faith and read it.

One of the best decisions.

The story begins with Mariam, a 15 year-old girl that lives in a poor cabin-like-style on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan. Her mother was a maid at Mariam’s father house and they got involved and Mariam’s mother got pregnant. Despite recognizing, reluctantly, Mariam as his daughter, her father sent her to the outskirts of town so she won’t embarrass him further. When a tragic event happens in Mariam’s life, his father marries her off to a 40-something year old man, Rashid, who at the beginning appears to be gentle and sweet � fucking far from it.

After Mariam’s marriage, the story changes perspective and we start to follow the story of Laila, from the moment she was a little child until she grows to 14. Laila’s father used to be a university professor until the civil war erupted on Afghan soil and he always encouraged her to follow her education and to be happy. Laila is immensely in love with Tariq � even though it takes forever for them to admit � and everything seems to be going well until the city attacks get worse. When tragedy hits Laila and leaves her alone and wounded, Laila finds refuge at Rashid’s and Mariam’s house. When Rashid lies to Laila in order to make her marry him, Laila sees herself in a place of choosing between survival or death in a place where woman are only slightly better than communists.

Unfortunately, this story felt so close due to the recent events in Afghanistan. I didn’t know that, when I picked this book to be one of my readings for August, that I could be seeing thousands of people at the Kabul airport, desperate to leave or to send their kids away, just for a change at survival and decent living. I didn’t know that I was going to see so many reports of women and young girls to be taken, raped and sold as sex slaves to men who have to problem in breaking their soul and ending their lives. I didn’t know that what we witnessed in the 1990s-2001 was going to happen again, in the same formula, just 20 years later.

To say that this book broke and mend my heart several times along the story is an understatement. The story is full of tragedy � a real life tragedy � that broke my heart at almost every page. But it is also a story about hope, love, perseverance and inner strength. It is often that we get to see a story basically rooted on tragedy, death, hopelessness and just straight sadness to bring a such strong sense of hope and love.

To say that the female characters of this story are the definition of strength is an understatement. Mariam and Laila have such a different backstory, they come from completely different circles of life and yet the unfortunate events of said life brought them together and it shows that true love and strength can be found within but also by supporting ourselves in others. My heart was in constant pain and my anxiety levels probably were high at each page that I read, afraid of what might come of these wonderful, strong and beautiful women.

I cried while reading this book. I felt my heart clench and break. I felt my heart being mended back together. I felt it almost bursting from hope.

I just finished the book a few minutes ago so this first review might seem flat but I’m truly digesting what I just read. I don’t want to spoil anything as well because the beauty of this story is going in unaware of what is going to happen. This book might break your heart, but I can guarantee you is worth it.

The writing was amazing, so poetic but, at the same time, simple and fluid. The prose was perfect for the kind of story that Housseini intended to tell and the whole story felt real... Too real. If it didn’t feel real, it probably wouldn’t have hurt reading it as much as it did. Not once did I felt stuck on it or found it boring. Khaled Hosseini is an amazing writer and, when my heart and soul recovers from this book, I will definitely read more of his masterpieces.



Reviews of books from the 2021 ‘Me, Myself & I� bookclub:
� DaVinci Code
� The Midnight Library
� Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland + Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
� Dead Poets Society
� A Woman Is No Man
� Firekeeper’s Daughter
� Sold
� A Torch Against The Sun
� The Ex Hex
� Legendborn
� The Bear and The Nightingale