The Kite Runner:I think that...

This is the second time I read The Kite Runner! The first time I've read it in Italian and the translation was very good. Of course reading it in the original version was very better!

Despite I prefer the second book by Khaled Hosseini “A thousand splendid Suns”; I think it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. That’s because Khaled Hosseini succeeded to give his book a suspense rhythm that drives the reader to read it as quick as possible to know what is going to happen in the end(I’ve read it in just 4 days!) ! What I’ve appreciated more in his style are that sudden narrative interruptions fulfilled with the description of a dream or of his thoughts, so similar to James Joyce’s “stream of consciousness”.

I find the book very useful from a socio-cultural point of view because it testify a country unknown by Occidental society: the Afghanistan before the Soviet war and Taliban regime, with no Islamic fundamentalism, where it was still possible to decide of their own lives, where was still very common to meet women doctors or teachers, where most children attended school. In this sense, the book is an important contribution to rebuild a positive image of the country going over stereotypes.

The relationship between Amir and Hassan remind me the novel by Mark Twain “The Prince and the Poor Boy” without happy ending.That’s an other thing I loved!No happy ending ,just a smile, a light of hope that in my opinion, symbolizes the same faded smile of Afghan children that haven’t seen a way out yet but only a little bright of hope.
Of course my favorite character is Hassan. I was amazed by his bravery, his deep sense of loyalty and friendship, his tendency to forgiveness and I remained strongly shocked in reading the part where he was abused. But I’ve also been involved in Amir’s suffering, in his longing for his father attention and love, in his fears. It made me thought about how some feelings are the same in the entire world and in every culture.

The most interesting thing I’ve discovered thanks to the book, is kite flying. I’ve never heard anything about it and I find it isn’t just a sport but also a challenge with nature, with the ache caused by a blooding finger, with the wind...a great challenge! It made me wish to have a kite to fly and to defy my own challenge...