finished a book

Finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini, 2007) yesterday. Feels like there's so much that can be said about the beauty in this novel. The narrative reminds me of John Steinbeck. The history taught me a lot more about Afghanistan, and hence have a better appreciation of the wars that are still ravaging the land. The wars are the background of the personal 'wars' consuming the lives of two women; Mariam and Laila.

There are some details that are very gruesome: the aftermath of rocket bomb, the domestic abuses. There are also high dose of sweetness in the courtship between Laila and Tariq. There's a lot of flavours in the pages of this novel.

One issue that, in light of the domestic problems frequently featured on the front page of Harian Metro, many Malaysian women may identify with is the battle of the sexes. More specifically, how men create circumstances to their advantage, and to women's suffering.

"Like a compass needle that always points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman."

Do our fingers 'react' like a compass needle?

Or do we take time to find the guidance in the Quran and Sunnah before we point our fingers?