Following a call from his homeland, Amir, an Afghanistan writer, who lives in California has to return to the region he and his father fled during the war in Afghanistan. Amir recounts the story of his childhood and friendship with Hassan, the son of his father’s servant before the country they grew up in was torn apart. Their passion for kite running attached the two boys until the winter of 1976. From that memorable year, Amir has been struggling for redemption. And when he thought his life could not get worse, things hit him harder.This book made me cry so much I had to stop reading for a couple of days, so I could recover from my sadness. Let’s start with the writing style, which is incredible. It feels like reading an open letter. Every word is carefully chosen and brings on a wave of emotion. The narrative carries the reader into the characters’ happiest as well as their devastating moments. One day I was floating on a warm sea of sublime words and the next, storms came crashing when I least expected them. The remarkable writing style skyrocketed the author to the number one slot of my top 10 favorite books so far this year. The story is heartbreaking in the sense that, even though it is fiction, it mirrors life and human nature. Part of the plot is set during the war and I could not be more horrified to “witness” humans at their lowest level of their existence. At times I felt like I was locked up in a dark room with all my hopes shattered. The protagonist is not portrayed as a hero. There are times when you resent, pity him and other times when you root for him. The other characters are imaginary extensions of ourselves.

The Kite Runner is a black diamond. No wonder it was adapted as a motion picture. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Culture banned the film from distribution in cinemas or DVD stores because of its controversial portrayal of the Taliban. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, even those who do not like to read.Quote “for you a thousand times”

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