When was the last time you asked your mother how she was doing? We often forget about the sacrifices our mothers make for us as a parent and as women. Books like 

 come to us as a wake up call and urge us to stand up against the unfair practices of discrimaination in the society.

, is a Korean novel written by former scriptwriter, 

. It came into publication in the year 2016 with 

 and has since sold over a million copies, becoming the first million selling Korean novel. It was even adapted to a film in 2019 starring 

, which also gained a lot of popularity.


 tells the story of all mothers, all women. Following the life of Ji Young and her family, the novel talks about the struggle a woman has to go through throughout her life. It takes you on a journey of awareness and walks you step by step on what it takes to be a woman and to grow up and live in Korea. Captivating you from the very beginning, Cho has written the book in a simple manner with a simple story which in every way manages to capture your heart. 

 is not a complicated novel, neither does it take a lot from you to understand it, no major plot twists, no characters you love or hate, or sad or happy endings. It is a simple story about a woman’s life and is simply heart breaking.

Cho writes the book with ease, giving us the right amount of information when needed. She writes in such a way that the book keeps you interested till the very end and even after being translated it does not lose its message or magic.

The book Kim Ji Young talks about the sacrifices a woman makes in her life. It talks of empowerment, of oppression, the discrimination women face and the ways society has failed women throughout time. And as you read the novel you realise these topics are not just limited to Korea but also are a huge part of other societies, like ours. More than often we ignore or do not bother to think about the sacrifices our mothers make for us, even though it may be an unconscious action on our part, it does exist. Books like Kim Ji Young help us to some extent spread awareness about topics like these. It is an eye opening read that urges us to question the prejudices in society. And forces us to look at the little things we often tend to ignore and not give much importance to- the dreams and the life our mothers give up to take care of us and our dreams. Kim Ji Young is an eye opening and an emotional read. A similar book to the above mentioned is 

 which deals with somewhat similar topics. 


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.

KIM JI YOUNG, BORN 1982: A BOOK REVIEW

 is Hosseini’s second book following the best seller “ The Kite Runner” and just like the former Thousand Splendid Suns too got its fair share of fame. After its publication, the book stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for fifteen weeks and within one week of its publication it had sold more than a million copies. The book’s adaptation rights were sold to Columbia Pictures with a promise to turn it into a motion picture, followed by a theatrical adaptation in 2017 at the American Conservatory Center, San Francisco.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a book I had been running away from until the day I picked it up. Captivating you from the very first page, this book tells you a story of a woman who has never seen love and of a woman who has lost all her loved ones. 

, a young girl of fifteen is married to a man twice her age and is sent to a place where there is even more darkness waiting for her than what she had seen up until now. So what happens when she meets 

, a girl who has lost all the love she had and the love she did not have, to war? In the midst of a burning country Laila and Mariam find love, as mother and daughter and as friends.

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

– Khaleed Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Hosseini has not just written a book, he has written history, he has done magic. Everything from the plot to the characters are written in such perfection that you find yourself fighting between the urge to read the book in one sitting or taking everything in slowly, so that you don’t miss a detail, never forget one. The book takes you on a heart wrenching journey with Mariam and Laila, it talks about what 

 does, what it destroys. It takes everything away from you and yet leaves you full of hope. It talks about one’s love for their homeland and their fear of losing it. Hosseini’s magic does not end just here, within all of the conflict he manages to bring in topics of domestic violence and empowerment of women. He opens a window into the dirty world of the uneducated, telling us over and over what not knowing enough can do. The line between 

 is blurred in the book, with mention of 

 and extremist ideologies of the so called “religious people”.

 and wondering about the world and ourselves, about stories we did not get to know, will never get to know. 

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BY KHALED HOSSEINI

The longing to know things consumes people sometimes, it consumed her as it had her grandfather, despite the many years that separated them.

, it was shortlisted for the Zayed award in 2011 and won the 

 in 2019. It was translated to the English language by 

 in 2018. Celestial Bodies narrates the story of generations of families of shayks to slaves living in Oman during the social changes of the 1960s. In the book Al Harthi spins a revolutionary tale about a time full of chaos.

Drawing a very thin line between superstition and reality, Celestial Bodies give us an insight into the lives of Arabs living in the country during that time. The book revolves around reality just as much as it deals with the supernatural and superstitions, Alharthi throws light on topics of discrimination against women, 

. The characters in the book are not too complicated and yet not too simple, there is not one main protagonist but every character holds its own place of importance. Throughout the book you feel this yearning for love that each character seems to hold. Each person is looking for love in their own way. The book shows how innocence is born and how it dies and it makes you ponder on the meaning of innocence in totality. Meanwhile, Alharthi also very skillfully introduces us to the beauty of arabic poetry through poets like 

Even though the book was beautiful inside out, the translation did not seem to live up to my expectations, though I seemed to enjoy the plot there were times the writing just felt bland, as if reading just words with no feelings assorted to them. Maybe it was due to this reason the book became a very slow read, so that it was at some points hard to even get through. The mention of poetry even though enjoyable was sometimes 

 than poetic. With paragraphs full of information on the poets, the book seemed to not be as enjoyable as I had thought it would be.

Yet the topics mentioned in the book and the way the writer deals with it, is a very good reason on why you should pick up the book. As it talks about topics that are relevant in some societies even today. I think the stories it presents are very relatable in the Indian context too, the depiction of women’s lives or how children are treated as an embodiment of their parents and the 

 surrounding religions beliefs are very much similar to the cultures we have seen or still see in a lot of places. The book talks about history and how it changed and gives us a new narrative on the lives of [omani] women and how their lives had been in society. In the end, I would like to say “Celestial Bodies” is 

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

Penned down by the Korean American Writer 

 Pachinko tells the heart wrenching yet warm story of three generations of a Korean family living in a land that is not their own, a land they could never call theirs. 

, the only daughter of a young couple living in 

, meets a mysterious man whom she recklessly falls in love with – only to be left behind, pregnant, with nowhere to go. Heartbroken she makes some difficult choices, one of which is moving to Japan. The story revolves around her life in Japan and the consequences she and her future generations have to face due to the choices made. Pachinko is the second novel of Lee, and has seen just as much success as her debut or even more. Published in 2017, Pachinko was nominated for the National Book Award for fiction and was also ranked as a New York Times bestseller.

Lee’s pachinko is captivating from the very first page and radiates 

 in a story of a time where it seemed as if winter had decided to stay. At times, it is predictable, and at times it surprises you. Even though she narrates a story about a time that is long gone, the book is not just an insightful window to the past, but also enlightens us to question matters of the present time.

Lee very skilfully presents the story throwing light on 

. Their history with occupation and oppression, and tells what it is like to exist in a place that you do not feel like you belong too, a place that does not seem to accept you. Through the plot, Lee portrays strong and incredible characters that become the backbone of the story. Not only Sunja, but as her legacy grows you see other characters struggle and fight with the consequences of the choices they had or had not made. Consequences of war, of racism.

If there is one thing that is keeping me back from calling the book perfect, it would be the desire of knowing more about the characters. Throughout the book I had situations where I wanted to know about a character’s feelings or thoughts on a certain subject, or maybe even the backstory of some characters, some of the would be: Koh Hansu, who seemed to be the most conflicting out of all the protagonists, Noa’s feelings about his family, and Sunja’s struggle with living in a strange country. But even then, with ever changing point of views and its numerous protagonists, Lee still manages to spin an incredible story about survival and hope, full of diverse and astounding characters.

I had heard this saying once that, if you want to know about a certain country, you should hear the stories its people have to tell and I think Lee’s pachinko is a fine example of that. I would recommend everyone to read this book. It would be great pick, not only because it is an insight into the struggles of war throughout Korea and Japan’s history, but also because it forces us to look at the situation around us. This book is a must read, more so because of the social and political scenario of the world right now. And if you’re someone who enjoys simple stories with deeper meanings, then this is definitely the book for you. However, you should be ready to sit through a really calm and modest story. Once you get into it, Pachinko is charming and unforgettable.

Articles by Aysha Kulsum

KIM JI YOUNG, BORN 1982: A BOOK REVIEW

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BY KHALED HOSSEINI

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

PACHINKO (파친코) BY MIN JIN LEE

KIM JI YOUNG, BORN 1982: A BOOK REVIEW

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BY KHALED HOSSEINI

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

PACHINKO (파친코) BY MIN JIN LEE