Khaled Hosseini has produced two epic stories of life in Afghanistan, both of which are great reads. Earlier I blogged about A Thousand Splendid Suns, and mentioned that having run out of books on holiday, I had to buy something to read on the way home. Having spotted Hosseini's first book, I immediately bought it.
Unlike the other novel, though, The Kite Runner is told through the eyes and views of a single narrator, Amir. Amir lives with his father in Kabul, along with their servant and his son Hassan. The title comes from the old custom of kite competitions in Kabul where each competitor attempts to break the string of their opponents' kites, which are then fair game for anyone to capture. The kite runner is the one who runs after the freed kite to catch it.
Hosseini provides a realistic, vivid picture of life, and the reader is transported to the joys of childhood in Afghanistan, before experiencing the horrors of war and terrible personal circumstances. Things aren't quite as simple as they may appear to Amir, and the story develops into him seeking to redeem and make up for both family and personal wrongs and failings.
Along with the gut-wrenching sadness of some of the twists, this is a novel with a glimmer of hope. It has also been released on DVD, so I'll maybe try to see it sometime soon, to see how the adaptation has been handled.
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