If you are a reader like I am, you will have a long list of books that you would someday like to read. You know, so many books, so little time. "The Kite Runner" has been one of many on my list of must reads and I finally got around to it. I must say that it is one of the very best books I have ever read. The craft of writing is at its finest in this novel. I have often misjudged a book by its cover or its theme, but the danger in doing that is, of course, that I might miss out on a treasure, a genuine diamond.
This is a story that is totally captivating. It is about Afghanistan, then and now, culture, immigration, friendship, loyalty,fathers and sons, friends and enemies, betrayal, secrets, redemption, and most importantly, restoration. The themes and plot twists weave in and out like a brilliant Persian carpet pattern, each turn of the page revealing more of what lay in the past, and what might be in the future. The foreshadowing always becomes clear after the fact and almost always takes the reader by surprise, yet, we should not have been surprised. The tapestry of wonderful imagery is interspersed with action and suspense and we find ourselves at once loathing the protagonist and then totally sympathising with him, all the while hoping he can rid himself of the deep guilt that forever keeps him from being whole. And how satisfying to discover that in the end, our 'hero' has, indeed, "found a way to be good again".
If I had three thumbs, they would all be 'up'.
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