The Kite Runner, what did you think?

Hey all

I read the Kite Runner a few months ago and just finished flicking through it in order for it to be fresh in my memory.

Despite it not being among my favourite book of all time list, I enjoyed the book very much. It is very well written and very easy to read, these are two qualities which I think are quite hard to find in the same book.
Khaled Hosseini is a fabulous story teller, he managed to put so much feeling into the book and makes you wonder if his real name is Amir. He also manages to pass that feeling onto the reader -- The frustration of feeling neglected by Baba, the guilt which consumed him after the Assef/Hassan episode, the will to bring Sohrab back home -- I felt all of that as I read the story, and so did my girlfriend. After I finished the book, she started reading it and sometimes I would come home to find her on my bed reading and she would tell me to shut up as soon as I opened my mouth, as if my house was some kind of library; I also caught her crying once, that is how deep Hosseini managed to involve his readers.

The fact that it portrays pre-war and post-war Afghanistan is of great significance to me. There were a lot of things I did not know like the tradition of kite flying and fighting, the "inferiorism" of the Hazaras, even the existent adoption policies. It all made me feel extremely lucky for living where I live and extremely stupid for the many times I have complained about the way I live. And Hassan...wow... I did not know it possible for someone to have such a big heart, even if it is a fictional character we are talking about.

I guess I can say that The Kite Runner made me think a bit more about life, on how, no matter what, someone will always have it worse than me and still manage to smile and on how I should make the most of the things I have and many people do not.

What did you think?