I don't know that there is anything I can say about this book that will do it any justice.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, (this is his first novel) about a boy named Amir who lives with his father in Afghanistan before they flee for America after the Taliban take over their homeland.
The book sites state this - An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
It is this, and so much more. The story, eloquently written, starts with Amir the child of Baba a very wealthy well to do man in Afghanistan and what happens to change the course of their life and the life of people they love. While the book deals with culture which is also very interesting, this book mainly to me, deals with how the choices we make throughout our life shape who we are and who we eventually become.
I had no desire to read this book. Having heard about it and knowing that everyone was reading, that it was on the best seller list for over 2 years it didn't make me want to pick it up. What made me want to pick it up was hearing my girlfriend Sheress beg me to do so. She called me every morning when she started reading begging, asking, pleading, telling me she would buy it for me and that I just HAD to read it. Now, I am doing the same, I have told 5 people to read this in the past 2 weeks and now I am telling you.
The book is unforgettable. I don't believe there will be a time where I won't be able to recall this story.
This beautifully written book is about family, sacrifice, jealousy, love, friendship, suffering, sin, devastation, redemption and at times was emotionally gripping.
The title comes a traditional tournament where Afghan children or kite-flyers compete by cutting through the strings of their opponents with the strings of their own kites made of sharp, glass strings. The winner is the last one standing after all other kites have been cut and the runner runs after the last falling kite gets the greatest honor.
The Kite Runner like Veil of Roses made me happy to have been born on American soil.
As stated by Amazon:
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")
Chotskies gives this book a A+
2 comments:
I did this book in my Adult Education literature classes a couple of semesters back. We loved it. I watched the movie recently which is compltely subtitled but an excellent film that follows the book very closely. Now read A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author. You won't be disappointed... :)
Mary, Thank you for checking me out over on my slum blog. Love it!
I cannot get this book out of my head and I think I never will.
My friend and I read it together and now we are waiting for one more person to finish so we can all watch the movie.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is next on our list for next month.
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