Review - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The author, Khaled Hosseini, knows how to tell a story. It reads like a memoir and is so convincing that I actually wondered if it is all true. The first, oh, third of the book took me a little bit longer to read. I could only take bits at a time because my tears – yes, sobbing, wailing tears – blurred the words. Once you get past that, it’s easier to handle. I hated, absolutely despised the main character in the beginning. I promised myself I would not like him no matter what. I lied. I don’t know that he became my hero, but I forgave him. Basically, Hosseini put my emotions through the same rigor as the main character. The author employs clichés fairly often, but the story overrode that small annoyance. And you have some of those nice little ironies that may be almost pedantic, but, my, they feel nice.
Half set in Afghanistan, half set in Los Angeles, The Kite Runner is about a boy becoming a man and learning the courage that allows him to act in loyalty. It depicts the influence of relationships over lives, father-son, friends, mentor. You also get a glimpse into what happened in Afghanistan, a before and after. Hosseini weaves in political and religious settings without becoming some sort of a professor in the meantime.
I recommend this book, but be willing to need a nap from emotional exhaustion.