Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Writing Style-6.5
Originality-7.0
Plot-6.7
Literary Merit(whatever that means)-6.2
Overall-6.7
This was a really nice book. It’s been on bestseller lists for a long time, so when I saw it for a decent price at McKay’s I bit.
It’s written by a guy from Afghanistan and most of the book takes place there. So, if you are at all curious about the history of Afghanistan and how the Taliban came to be in power there this is a pretty fun source of some of that info. You’ll also learn a bit about the ethnic divisions there as well as the whole sunni vs. shi’a thing.
The fictional story of a young boy growing up in the early seventies in Afghanistan proceeds up until post 9/11 and the boy’s story runs parallel to the political, social, and military upheavals taking place in the country over this period of time.
The young boy does something that he is terribly ashamed of, then moves to America, and many years later has the opportunity to return to his native country to try to atone for this mistake he made in his youth.
He describes his childhood in Afghanistan in the early seventies when it was relatively stable. There was a king that had been in power for around 40 years. Then in 1975 (I think) there is a political coup while the king is away in Italy and then there is the Soviet invasion and a long war with them which severely breaks up and destabilizes the region. Most of this he doesn’t dwell on, as the main character is now living in San Francisco. But then someone from his past calls one day and offers him the opportunity to come back and make up for his mistakes. When he returns, Afghanistan is totally different being ruled by the Taliban. He sees women being beaten for showing any amount of skin in public and executions during halftime of soccer games and so forth.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, it’s very entertaining book. I’d recommend it to people who like to read about other countries and cultures.
Originality-7.0
Plot-6.7
Literary Merit(whatever that means)-6.2
Overall-6.7
This was a really nice book. It’s been on bestseller lists for a long time, so when I saw it for a decent price at McKay’s I bit.
It’s written by a guy from Afghanistan and most of the book takes place there. So, if you are at all curious about the history of Afghanistan and how the Taliban came to be in power there this is a pretty fun source of some of that info. You’ll also learn a bit about the ethnic divisions there as well as the whole sunni vs. shi’a thing.
The fictional story of a young boy growing up in the early seventies in Afghanistan proceeds up until post 9/11 and the boy’s story runs parallel to the political, social, and military upheavals taking place in the country over this period of time.
The young boy does something that he is terribly ashamed of, then moves to America, and many years later has the opportunity to return to his native country to try to atone for this mistake he made in his youth.
He describes his childhood in Afghanistan in the early seventies when it was relatively stable. There was a king that had been in power for around 40 years. Then in 1975 (I think) there is a political coup while the king is away in Italy and then there is the Soviet invasion and a long war with them which severely breaks up and destabilizes the region. Most of this he doesn’t dwell on, as the main character is now living in San Francisco. But then someone from his past calls one day and offers him the opportunity to come back and make up for his mistakes. When he returns, Afghanistan is totally different being ruled by the Taliban. He sees women being beaten for showing any amount of skin in public and executions during halftime of soccer games and so forth.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, it’s very entertaining book. I’d recommend it to people who like to read about other countries and cultures.
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