Saturday, December 29, 2007

Eve Notebook - The Kite Runner

I am truly blessed this year to have received wonderful gifts of great books from friends this year. The latest gift I received, The Kite Runner, had been on my mind and fate would have it to bring this book to me from a friend who didn't know.

The author, Khaled Hosseini, was born in Afghanistan thus you can trust that a lot of the things you read about in this story is probably as raw and true as it can get.

This overview was taken off Bloomsbury's website:

"Unfolding against Afghanistan’s destructive history, from the fall of the monarchy to the oppression of the Northern Alliance and the advent of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is a story of fathers and sons, friendship and betrayal, and the casualties of fate.

At the heart is Amir, whose childhood betrayal of his closest friend alters the course of his life until he discovers that ‘there is a way to be good again’. "

Frankly, I think this description does the story no justice. You have to read it for yourself to see how richly the author has told this story. It is a story about family, kinship, brotherhood, friendship, honor, righteousness, forgiveness and perhaps above all, redemption. It is amazing how the author brings you through all these themes without imposing them on you.

I love how the author introduces elements which allow the reader to peek into what a peaceful Afghanistan might have been. I love how those seemingly irrelevant and unimportant details tell so much about each of the characters and eventually bring you into the whirlpool of the story. The story starts so simply, brings you through an unsuspecting ride to finally finish off with an ending that makes you come all round and say "wow". I felt shivers of joy at the ending.

This story will move, provoke and shake you.

Now I can't wait for the film!

About The Kite Runner at Bloomsbury site:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/Authors/microsite.asp?id=480&section=1&aid=1763

The Author's website:
http://www.khaledhosseini.com/

Movie Trailer:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/flashvideos/video.asp?vid_id=kiterunner.flv&vid_sz=5

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

you'll receive so much inspiration from your reading!!

have a good 2008!