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He dropped hints about the destinies of the characters at the beginning of the book skillfully, making you want to know what exactly happened to them. Often, I'd be concerned that a book like this can be dry and hard to follow since most of us lack knowledge/background of the region. For those who want to have a good understanding of the modern history of Afghanistan and how all the major events impact people's lives there, there is no better book than this one. The flow of the book is amazing - I can hardly put it down once I started. However, the author wrote very well. He led readers through the lives of the main characters with all the major political events in the background. It is amazing that this is the author's first book. Because of this book, I now have more perspective on the lives of people in the Afghan community near us (Fremont, CA, where the second part of the story was based).
For quite some time I loved this novel but at some point I felt like he could not shovel the shite fast enough and all the sympathy I'd built up turned into disgust and even anger for his lack of respect for the reader. I mean, give it a rest. I wound up hating the book but cannot dismiss the long stretch of good storytelling before it went sour so he gets some stars.
There are many people like Hassan in this world, in different countries: disadvantaged, humble, and powerless. But they have enormous power over our hearts when their stories are told. I am glad Hassan's was. To read the story of a powerless and deprived young girl in 1980 China, please check out this book: When Rape Flowers Bloom
This story was so BORING it took me forever. I rarely have difficulty getting through a book. I can usually read a novel within a few days, no problem. (I had to force myself to pick it back up every few days). I would only recommend this book to someone I didn't like.
Despite this, Amir and Hassan are as close as brothers, in large part because they suckled at the same breast.Then after a kite fighting tournament to which the title refers, something terrible happens that creates a rift between Amir and Hassan. I won't say what exactly, but if you read the book you might see what I'm talking about.Other than that I only have a couple of nitpicks. The problem the US faces, as did the Soviets and British before them, is that Afghans are reckless and not prone to following rigid rules, as Hosseini describes during the kite fighting. Amir's best friend is his servant Hassan. The only difference is that instead of taking place in London or New England or Iowa, it's taking place in Afghanistan.Amir's mother died in child birth, something his father (referred to as Baba) seems to hold against him.
They live in a well-off neighborhood in Kabul in the '60s and '70s, back when Afghanistan was still a monarchy. Or it's an oversight. It starts off with a young boy who grows into a man and then deals with some of his lingering issues. Not long after, they're separated when the Soviets begin moving in, setting off political chaos that remains to the date of this review.
And it has its own melting pot of cultures that to outsiders would seem trivial but to them (as demonstrated by the very different lives of Amir and Hassan) are extremely important.There isn't a lot I can say negatively about this book. Maybe this was intentional to show Amir's incomplete grasp of American cinema. Hassan is an outcast not only because of his harelip and occupation, but also because he's a Hazara or someone with Mongol blood to give him a more Eastern appearance. Amir and his father go to America, while Hassan and his father stay in Afghanistan.Over the ensuing 25 years, Amir becomes a man and finds a wife, but he never forgets Hassan or the moment of cowardice that ruined their friendship. Maybe it helps if you're from Afghanistan on that score.Anyway, this overall is a good book.
The structure of this story should be familiar to readers of Charles Dickens, John Irving, or Patrick Dilloway. My main complaint was that the ending was so obvious. It's the kind of ending where you know what's going to happen 50-100 pages in advance, so you wonder why it takes Amir so long to figure it out. One is that after Amir gets into his fight and gets his jaw wired shut, he mentions that his voice sounds like Al Pacino in "The Godfather." I assume he meant Marlon Brando with the cotton stuffed in his cheeks. With the 9/11 attacks planned by terrorists sheltering in Afghanistan and the subsequent US invasion, the American public was obviously hungry for any insight into Afghanistan and its people and Islam. I wouldn't put it up there with Dickens or Irving's best works, but it's close. As much as Amir would like them to be close, Baba always seems disappointed in him.
Generally though it follows the same pattern of following the main character from pretty much birth to present, so that even though it focuses on a different culture it should seem pretty familiar. The only way for him to redeem himself--to be good again as a friend says--is to go back and face his demons.This is definitely a book that came along at the right time. And the author doesn't disappoint here. Not a big deal, but a little jarring considering "The Godfather" is one of the 10 greatest American films ever so you'd think an author would be able to keep track of who played what character.The only other thing is I found it a little odd and creepy that Amir romanticizes a woman's unibrow and big nose. If you're looking for a similar book that's a bit more challenging, check out "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie.That is all.
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