The Kite Runner

My mother-in-law lent me this book a long time ago after her book club read it, and I had just never gotten around to reading it. Now, since I have a lot more spare time since I'm not playing World of Warcraft anymore, I've been catching up on my reading. Borrowed books are first on the list to be read.

And I have to say, this book completely sucked me in. I started it one afternoon at about 3, and I finished it before I went to bed. (I read fiction really fast.) I really couldn't put it down, except for once, where I was so shaken by what had just happened that I needed a break.

The Kite Runner is narrated by Amir, a young man who grew up in a well-to-do family in Kabul, Afghanistan, and who now lives in California. He tells the story of his life, focusing primarily on his relationships with his father and Hassan, a lower-class, lower-caste servant who grew up with him in his father's home.

I'm not going to tell any more of the plot, other than to say that it grabs you and doesn't let you go until the end. But for those of you who choose to read it, I'd recommend trying to get away from it once it a while. Force yourself to take breaks. Because The Kite Runner, in addition to telling the story of Amir, also tells the story of Afghanistan, and that story includes very real people and events, including the Taliban and ethnic cleansing. This historical backdrop to Amir's story gives the novel a feeling of reality that makes the fictional events hard to shake, which makes for a very intense reading experience.