Ponder

Ambience - Same old same old Insomnia peekaboo

Mood - "I have to fill this screen. Let the catharsis begin"

Looping - Estas Tonne - The song of the golden dragon.

I didn't read a whole lot of fiction. I really didn't. contrary to the opinion of all my near and dear who kind of think that I spend most of my waking hours reading 'novels' - Now - that's a generic term for books where I lived, I guess. But truth be told, I read very little of anything, not just fiction. But since my conscious efforts to use my time productively kicked in earlier this year, I read quiet a few books. But the genre was very off beat. I read a lot of spiritual texts, philosophy and  a little bit of human psychology when ever I could. But Spiritual content takes the cake. So when I contemplated the next read, I found I had not one but two copies of this Khalid Hosseini's book 'A thousand splendid suns'

I read 'The kite runner' a few years ago and was totally charmed by Hosseini's deep understanding of love and life. I probably, with good intentions, bought the second book twice so I thought - "why not?" and chose it for my weekend read.

I have a very short attention span. Like a butterfly :-D Congratulate yourself is you are a childhood friend and don't write me off as a egotistic snob if you don't know me. I have a dry sense of humor. That's all. There are numerous occasions when I picked a fiction book and placed it down after a few pages. I am hasty that way. I cannot give a book, specially fiction,  too much of a chance. But there was a powerful force that sucked me right into the broken, hopeful world of Mariam and her kolba. I was very thrilled to see Hosseini choose a female protagonist. I loved both Amir and Hassan and their story so beautifully entangled together in 'The kite runner'. So I was so excited to see the author speak from a female perspective. I tried not to read any synopsis so was beside myself with delight when I saw a second  female lead getting introduced later into the narration. I didn't in the least predict how Mariam and Laila would be Amir and Hassan in their own right and was at a point frustrated when the narration completely shifts to Laila's story as I started missing Mariam and wanted to know what was happening to her. Not until these two narrations intersect did I understand the magic Hosseini was unfolding for me. I spent a few hours glued to the book making sure I saw the end of it and knew everything there was to know about the ladies that I somehow had fallen deeply in love with. 

I was on a roller coaster of emotions, living every bit of the hope, agony, rejection and heartbreak these both ladies live through the lucid flow of prose, highlighting bits and bobs, making my heartfelt notes in the margin and blowing through a box of kleenex in the process. The worried significant other kept checking on me wondering why my eyes were swollen and my nose stuffy. I know, I'd been on a midlife 'cry at the drop of a hat' phase for enough time now. The better half isn't still warming up to the idea of the transformation of his happy, smiley young wife into a hormonal middle aged woman. I know, time is savage. We all kind of morph into touchy, sentimental older people (That's also dry humor by the way, and ageing is a wonderful thing. I recommend it to all young people out there! I swear, just make sure you grow up and not old!) But that 'crying at the drop of a hat' part holds true. Age and hormonal fluctuations of balancing a toddler's tantrums with a teen's attitude does that to you I believe. On that note I have to acknowledge that the teen in question walked into my room several times, rolling her eyes and exclaiming "Why do you have to read it and cry buckets? you belong in the looney bin mother!" And then she came to pleas -
"Mom, why would anyone write such depressing stuff? Stop it already, I am not able to see u cry" That revelation was very reassuring. It was a good feeling to not feel like the nemesis of your first born's life for a change. She, afterall, cannot see me cry! :-D

But I got all high and preachy at that remark of "why would anyone write such depressing stuff?". I went on and on about how the generation is fed on a steady dose of Twilight and Breaking Dawn or what have you where the leading ladies go on a joy ride with Vampires and Werewolves. I know, "Fiction exists to feed our imaginations but it muffles our commonsense sometimes". I probably said the last part out and the teen double dared me that she'd read 'The thousand splendid suns' and appreciate it as much as I did minus the sob fest. I didn't let her take it up without reminding how 'The book thief' went over her head, and wished her luck with this one. No, a mother cannot let go of an opportunity where she can establish her stance.

"This is so subtle mother" came the first feedback. "If you had not highlighted and made notes this would have indeed gone over my head" - I was happy that she was willing to admit to the shortcoming and nudged her to complete it and enhance her comprehension skills.To my surprise she did complete it, and did it minus the sob fest. 

"I put my energy into getting all the subtleties" she later on passed her verdict. "I did't have the luxury of letting the undiluted emotion hit me"

Well, well - we made a start and transitioned from the popular fiction to the parallel. That's a huge victory. I'd blow through another kleenex without batting an eyelid if that challenges my first born to read some hard hitting stories.

I know - what started off as a tribute to the poignant writing prowess  of Hosseini ended up in a hodgepodge of lousy dry sense of humor. But all that trying too hard to be funny put aside, I was immensely moved by the piece of work. It made me go a little deeper into my own scope as a human, it probably made me more sensitive, more empathetic and led me through made up truths, over and over! This should definitely nudge me into reading more fiction for one thing.

Apart from that - Now, I want to write like Hosseini. Before it was Rowling :D

Do check out Estas Tonne's string at this magical piece. It'll is a potential loop. Fair warning :)