Originally published on my Tumblr
Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorite authors. He has written 4 books: “The Kite Runner,” “And the Mountains Echoed,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” and "Sea Prayer."
I read “And the Mountains Echoed” for the Norfolk Public Library Tuesday Night Book Club, and it may be in my top 10 favorite books of all time (I’m lumping all of the Harry Potter books into one for the purposes of my top 10 list).
First, I will say Hosseini’s books may not be for everyone. They are deep. They are real. There is no happy ending. They portray the dignity and depravity of humans. They are ironic. They are stunning.
I have never been to Afghanistan, but Hosseini’s books have transported me there. I have seen Kabul through these characters, and it’s a beautiful place. I love the close-knit bond of the Afghan culture. This book makes me want more: I want to visit Kabul, I want to eat Afghan food, I want to be a fly-on-the-wall at an Afghan flea market in San Francisco, and I want Khaled Hosseini to keep writing.
Book v. Movie: The Kite Runner has apparently been made into a movie, which I have not seen. And honestly, I’m not sure I will watch it. My fear is the movie will in no way compare to the book, so why bother?
Overview: There are a lot of themes in this story. Maybe at the most basic level it’s a story about family and the desire to please and connect with our family and feel loved, important, and seen. It’s a story about choices: when to act, how to act, what to say, and what not to say. It demonstrates the temptation to try to bury shame or what we view as our “bad decisions” and how this burying affects us and those we love most.
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