A beautifully crafted and disturbing story of two women victims of the wrath of men. As unforgettable as The Kite Runner, this novel places us in Afghanistan with an open heart' Isabel Allende 'I loved this book - I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. It is incredibly moving and a real insight into the madness and suffering of Afghanistan - in particular its women' Fiona Bruce 'Hosseini proves his credentials as a superstar storyteller. This follow up to The Kite Runner will have fans rampaging into bookshops desperate for their copy. Yet again he weaves a masterful story around the lives of two extraordinary and compelling characters brought together in adversity' Mariella Frostrup 'From further east comes, at long last, Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns in which the universally adored author of The Kite Runner returns with a study of love and self-sacrifice in a modern Afghan family.
《灿烂千阳》再次以阿富汗战乱为背景,时空跨越三十年,用细腻感人的笔触描绘了阿富汗旧家族制度下苦苦挣扎的妇女,她们所怀抱的希望、爱情、梦想与所有的失落。《灿烂千阳》一书的主人公玛丽雅姆在阿富汗一个偏远贫穷的地方长大,她想上学,母亲却告诫她:“学校怎么会教你这样的人?一个女人只要学一样本领,那就是忍耐。”“忍耐什么?”“不用操心,”她母亲娜娜说,“需要你忍耐的东西绝不会少。”
继畅销过百万册的《追风筝的人》之后,卡勒德?胡赛尼在《灿烂千阳》里展现了半个世纪阿富汗妇女所要忍耐的种种。个人,要忍耐饥饿、病痛的约束。家庭要承受战争的创伤、难民的流离失所。国家要忍耐前苏联、塔利班与美国的战争。这是一部阿富汗忍耐的历史。
玛丽雅姆是个私生女,1974年,她15岁,母亲自杀。父亲强迫她嫁给喀布尔的老鞋匠拉希德。拉希德是小说里许多人性中暴力的源头。在流产六次后,玛丽雅姆不能再生育。她遭到拉希德的毒打虐待。
小说的另一位女主人翁莱拉,是拉希德另一个妻子。在与前苏联的战争中,莱拉失去了两个哥哥。炸弹夺走了她父母的生命。她深爱的男孩也被迫逃离阿富汗。主人公生活里到处都是失落与绝望。过着简单美国式生活的美国读者甚至难以体会。
刚开始,两位妻子相互敌视,渐渐的,两人在养育孩子的过程中越来越亲密无间。她们的友情在拉希德的虐待,国家的无情战火中留存。动人的情感成为小说的核心。两个女人苦难深重,某种程度上,她们庆祝塔利班的到来,希望能结束她们的苦难……关于不可宽恕的时代,不可能的友谊以及不可毁灭的爱。