Fiction, 7/10 – July/Aug/Sep 2007
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This novel is about the relationship of two children growing up in Afghanistan just before the Russian invasion and the rise of the Taliban. The distressing event that occurs on the day of a bitter sweet victory in a local Kite fighting tournament haunts both of them and marks the end of the happy period in the book (the majority being very dark). Mimicking his conscience, war and the associated horror invade the life of Amir, the main character. |
From child to adult, Amir bears an emotional scar which he eventually “pays for” even though he and his father manage to escape to America.
A very moving, sad book, rich in emotion. The author is from Afghanistan and I hope for his sake, none of the writing is autobiographical, for it is disturbing. He has a huge talent for irony, something that he explicitly points out as being an important skill of writing.
Kite fighting sounds like a fun sport. I’d love to go and see a real tournament.
