"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

This is my first time reading one of Hosseini's books, which by the way was a gift from a good university friend of mine. The book is about 2 boys growing up in Afghanistan in the 1970s; one the son of a rich man, the other the son of the rich man's servant. It's a beautiful crafted story set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed; first by the Russians and subsequently by the Talebans. It details how the 2 boys, Amir and Hassan, became like brothers as they grew up motherless and how they took part in kite-flying contests, with Hassan running after kites that were cut, hence the title. But more importantly, its a tale of betrayal by Amir, who though born of a noble and honourable man, had trouble living up to his father's strength of character. In the end, he let Hassan down and this caused him so much anguish that he lied to evict Hassan and his father from the household they had served for so many years, so that their presence would not weigh on his conscience. Amir and his father eventually fled to the US where he became a writer and married an Afghan lady. But a call from one of his father's old friends harkened him back to the land he grew up to fulfil a task that would afford him redemption for the wrong that he committed. Without giving the plot away, there are 2 kinds of wrongs; one of commission and the other of omission, and what Amir did was the latter.

I like the book for Hosseini writes beautifully, evoking emotions and detailing events with dexterity. Its quite amazing how he juxtaposes the idiosyncracies of the Afghan people with their courage and strength in weathering war and destruction. Its a funny yet thought-provoking book, asking hard questions about why some of us don't stand up for ourselves, let alone for others, and how every wrong exacts a price on your life that you'll have to pay, sooner or later. That unless you've the moral courage to face up to your wrongs, no matter how hideous they may be, you'll never be able to make peace with yourself. On the whole, its my best read this year so far, and I give it 4.5 out of 5. I can't wait to read Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns".