Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - My Review

It has been a long time since I have read anything this good. Hosseini is a marvelous story-teller. While his tale takes root in Afghanistan, it is a story that could bear fruit in any corner of the world.

There were times when Amir, the one who related his story was sympathetic. There were times when his behavior was reprehensible. And yet, in the greater context, completely understandable. At one point, Amir the child-writer was told that his story held a very special quality; it conveyed irony - something that many writers either never develop or spend a lifetime attempting to catch in the craft of writing.

I loved this story for many reasons - the most significant for me was Hosseini's reflection on Humanity and the fact that none of us is perfect; we live, we make mistakes along the way and how we choose to deal with our decisions has an irreversible impact not only on ourselves but upon others... and their many others, ad infinitum.

His message - elegantly simple - we are all interconnected and for that simple reason; there are far-reaching consequences - be they selfishness or unrelenting devotion - for everything we do.

While I would argue that this work's central premise is not necessarily Islam, it does nonetheless offer us vignettes that are invariably influenced by it and the cultural constraints it, like any other religion imposes on any given society. I am certain that is why this book has such a universal quality to it. That is why, I would recommend it, "... for you, a thousand times."