[rating:5/5]

Has it really been that long since I’ve read a book? Apparently so – just too many other things going on (almost none of which have been “fun”). Anyway, I just finished Kite Runner a few days ago and am finally getting around to writing a review of it; here it is:

Without question, this is a fabulous book; in fact, it is one of the most beautifully written that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a very long time. Not only is the story extremely well crafted and the characters extraordinarily human, but the author, Mr. Hosseini, has an astonishing gift to tell a story in which each personality is fully exposed – the good, along with the bad. His work is so masterful, that one quickly becomes deeply immersed with key figures to an extent where their emotional tenor is almost felt as if they were your own. Considering that this story evolves around a boy from Afghanistan who later emigrates to the United States – a background that is most certainly foreign (no pun indented) to that of most readers (including myself) – Mr. Hosseini has been able to delve into the human psyche that transcends cultural boundaries.

One thing that I found to be particularly fascinating is the author himself comes from a background as a non-native English speaker, and yet reaches a level of expressiveness through his words that transcend even the most astute authors in a manner that makes his prose not only live, but conveys meaning through a richness that is uncommonly good.

Of course, not all that occurs in the Kite Runner is good; not by any means. In fact, some of it is rather horrifying and evil but, for the sake of spoiling the story for others, I will not go into those details here. Furthermore, the story takes many surprising and unexpected twists (I confess, I had no idea what the story was about prior to reading it), but that only adds to the effectiveness of the plot.