A Wondrous Read……..”The Kite Runner”

I am an eclectic reader. I have never relied much on “best seller” lists and, because I buy most of my books from the thrift shops or yard sales, I am usually a year or two behind the current trend. This doesn’t bother me as I get a kick out of buying a hard cover book for 50 cents instead of the original $24.00. (Remember, I am a New Englander by birth...not cheap, just thrifty!)

I have just finished “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. It was published in 2003 and the story is eerily current with today’s headlines. The story teller is an Afghan named Amir and he traces his life from his boyhood in a peaceful Kabul to his present life in America.

My immersion into Amir’s life was total. I could hardly put the book down. It is a haunting novel, written so poignantly, and I ran the full gamut of emotions while reading his words. I don’t want to ruin it for the next reader, so I won’t give the whole plot; but, basically “The Kite Runner” takes us from 1975 to the present day, describing the tensions and age-old battles between the warring factions of the mid-east. I came away with a much better understanding of the futility and hopes of the region and of the people who struggle there every day...their loves, their joys and their desperation.

In the last chapter Hosseini writes; “When spring comes it melts the snow, one flake at a time and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.” I will remember those words and the rest of the story for a long, long time.