Did you ever finish a book in one day? My wife does it all the time but I rarely do. I know I’ve done it before, but I can’t recall the last book I did it with. It happened just the other day though. On Saturday, I got up, started reading The Kite Runner, and was done by the time I sat down for dinner. I was on vacation, so that made it easier. But even if it had been just a regular Saturday at home, this still might have happened. I just got sucked in and I couldn’t put it down.
It’s the story of a man named Amir, a man with demons – demons that weighed on him beginning at age 12. Amir grew up in a wealthy Kabul neighborhood in the late sixties and early seventies. His childhood was relatively normal except that his best friend was Hassan, the son of the family servant. It was uncommon for a rich kid in Afghanistan to become such close friends with the family servant, even more uncommon considering that each of them came from different Islamic denominations, Amir is a Sunni and Hassan is a Shi’a. This book is a first person narrative from the point of view Amir. It’s the story of his life.
That’s all I’m going to tell you. Often, with classic lit, I’ll reveal some plot killers for sake of discussion, but this isn’t classic lit. This book is current and you owe it to yourself to read it. I’m not messing around, you have to read it. You see people reading it in airports all the time. There’s a reason for that, it’s a great book. Stop wondering what the book is about and read it.
It’s written in plain, simple language and it’s a fast read. It will grab you from the beginning and you won’t be bored for a moment. I’m sure you know someone who’s read it, just borrow it. Or you can usually pick it up in the three-for-the-price-of-two rack at Borders. Just frickin’ read it, dude.