Book Review: The Kite Runner

Book: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Brief synopsis:

A novel set mostly in Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend, Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father´s service. Amir´s relatively priviledged life in Kaboul comes to an end when the communist regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him to the U.S. There Amir meets his future, afghan wife and marries her. Amir´s father dies in the U.S. and Amir receives a letter from his father´s most trusted business partner and, for a time, Amir´s surrogate father, which makes Amir return, alone, to a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and his family, and finally, a sort of redemption.

My review:

Wow! Why it took me as long as it did to get around to reading this book I don't know. It was amazing. Powerful. It made me stop. It made me gasp. It made me cry. It was nothing short of amazing. Some books are best sellers because they are popular. And some are best sellers because they are well written, eloquent, beautiful pieces of prose. This is definitely the latter.

I am sure many who are reading this have read The Kite Runner before me. I sold many copies of it during my days as a bookseller at Borders. And, now I know why. While it's tough to get through at points, and requires a strong stomach at several points. But, it is a book that should be read. It's a story of love, friendship and family. It's a story that helps Americans understand the culture of Afghanistan-- and the impact that the wars that have wrought the country have had.

In short, just read it. It. is. just. Good. Very, very, very good.