The Kite Runner

Next month my book group will be discussing Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. I went to the library last week to see if they had a copy, put it on hold, and was surprised when very quickly I received a notice that my book was in. I immediately started reading the book. I was quickly taken by the imagery as well as the story. In my mind's eye, pictures of Kabul and the characters, especially Amir and Hassan, quickly formed. It is a story that draws you in.

I finished the book today, so three random thoughts for now:

• The story is rich with emotion, haunting at times, but ultimately about friendship and atonement. Interestingly, forgiveness and restitution are not part of the discussion. Hope does have a reoccurring guest role, but with large gaps between appearances.
• A friend went to Kabul for work a while back, and I remember the pictures he posted, the tales he told of the city. Having just finished Genghis Khan: And the Making of the Modern World, I found myself more and more intrigued by those parts of the world that, until a few years back, where faceless countries where Other People lived.
• I used to eat lunch at a small Afghani restaurant near my old office. It has since closed, but I found myself longing for lamb and spinach and spices. As the characters walked through shopping districts and bazaars my mouth also watered as the author described the smells, sounds, sights.

The Kite Runner will be released as a major motion picture on November 2nd. It will be discussed in book group in our October meeting.