"Learn this now and learn it well, my Daughter: Like a compass needle that always points North, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that Mariam."
Today I had one of those lovely days of pure bliss in the sunny garden with an incredible book. I managed to get this book from a charity shop for £1.50 after hearing about it from one of my girls. It was recommended to me by Charlie who said "you will love it, it will make you so angry. At one point I threw the book." I am an absolute sucker for any book that makes you feel super sass or evokes a fire in your belly and makes tears fall from your eyes. That doesn't even begin to cover what this book made me feel...
The story follows two girls both growing up in an Afghan state oppressed by the laws and the men that are excused by them. Their stories are so far from that of the other but the way it's so beautifully written by Hosseini makes you relate equally to both. You feel as if you understand these girls and what they are going through, when in reality we cannot even fathom what they face. Even though those they love are being killed and taken from them by the wars, the horror of the war within their households is one of far more destruction.
More than anything the book is a tale of strength and Endurance. This being the "one skill that a woman needs in life." And when Mariam questions her Nana what she would have to endure she responds "Oh don't you fret. There will be no shortage of things." These expectations and almost acceptances are the most harrowing aspect of the book. The fact that these women are prepared to almost lose their life on a daily basis is truly unfathomable. To be child brides, forced to sign "contracts" and be unwillingly married to men that have the right to rape them in their own home.
The book spans a wide number of years through the Soviet war all the way until the Taliban takeover in Kabul, where the book is based. It's truly shocking to hear of the death and inhumanity that comes with these wars but if anything it's more shocking to hear the unbelievable stories of these two women who are married to the same man. They are forced to live in the same house and be used equally at his disposal when he wishes, without a second question. The same man who will treasure his son and allow him to be spoilt with toys and an illegal television whilst his daughter is starving and forced to enter an orphanage just to be fed. It's truly horrific, even more so as we know such things actually happen in the world, to real people. But under the surface it's really a tale of the love between two women. A respect and admiration that cannot be suppressed, no matter how hard they try. The love and understanding they have for each other cannot be compared or even put into words. It is something you can only truly appreciate by reading their journey as it's depicted through Hosseini's words.
However, even though these women are isolated and subjected by their state there is no excusing their power. That is the only word I can use to describe their characters. I have never felt so inspired and almost attached to two characters in any of the books I have ever read. It's possibly the most beautifully written novel I have ever encountered and I wish it was compulsory for everybody to have to read it at least once in their lifetime. I finished the book feeling so much more humane and having so much more empathy towards a state that I have always perceived to be self destructive and without hope. I feel as if I have been educated by this book and I can truly say that I now have infinite hope for their nation and for their peaceful future as long as women like Laila and Mariam exist.
Love Liv x
