The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Genre: (literary) fiction

The Kite Runner is a book that I never would’ve picked up on my own. The blurb didn’t sound that great, I wasn’t really down with reading about Afghanistan…it just made me feel dusty thinking about it. I started hearing buzz. More buzz. Deafening buzz. One of my discussion groups decided to pick it up, I found the book on sale (in hardback) for $4.99, and I finally gave in to the fact that it was divine intervention.

I’m glad I read this book. It was one of those books that demands a little getting into, but once you do, it grabs you by the nose hair and doesn’t let go until you finish. You can read the blurb yourself elsewhere, but for the sake of reviewer etiquette I’ll give you my Cliff’s Notes version:

Amir and Hassan grow up together. Hassan is of a lower social class, but the boys feel more like brothers…or do they??? Amir is full of questions about the relationship and ultimately has to face a humongous test. And he fails miserably. He fails at a lot of things, and he’s not likable while he’s failing. The boys grow up, they go through lots of trials and tribs, and we get to see this wonderful train wreck as it happens. Key words: friendship, tragedy, loss, redemption. This concludes my blurb.

Now, there’s way more to the book than that but, as I said, you can read a thicker blurb at Amazon. I want to talk about how this book made me feel, and the minor flaws along the way. The positives outweigh the negatives by a mile.

Khaled Hosseini has created a cast of characters that would rival those of the most seasoned novelist. This is his first novel, and I would venture to call it a staggering achievement. The characters are wonderful because they’re so sickenly flawed. By turns you wanna slap ‘em or kiss ‘em. Flawed characters are much more fun, since it makes them more realistic and ultimately more involving. There came a time in the book that one of the characters made me so angry I was ready to put the book down and let my garbage man run over it, but I persevered, and thankfully so. There are not many peripheral characters in this book. You feel as if you really get to know everyone…no floaters. I found that refreshing, and it made the grip on my nose hair even tighter.

My only complaint: a few too many happy (or unhappy in a few cases) coincidences. It wasn’t so annoying that it detracted from my enjoyment, but I did have the urge to roll my eyes twice…at the most. It was very obvious that Hosseini was illustrating a point with the said coincidences, and they helped carry out a great message and round out a gut-wrenching story. I can overlook and forgive.

More than anything, I enjoyed being immersed in Afghan culture. Hosseini presents the food, clothing, language, principles, leisure activities, and the people of Afghanistan honestly. It was a truly rewarding experience to peek inside a culture that is almost completely alien to me, and it’s prompted me to do more research on my own.

Pick it up! The paperback is out and the hardcover is showing up in remaindered bins, so you have no more excuses.