I first read ‘The Thousand Splendid Suns’ which shudder me by its first few words itself. Now as I review The Kite Runner, do I realize that it leaves much deeper footprints in my mind than Thousand Splendid Suns?
The Kite Runner is a story in the back-drop of Kabul, Afghanistan where the two boys Aamir & Hassan fly kites, race, play; fight….Aamir detests his dad’s constant attention given to Hassan who lives with Ali in the servant house- outside his palatial glory.
Hassan’s simplicity & innocence shatters you- Aamir more of less reminds you of yourself who makes mistakes at times knowingly, repents and then tries to find redemption. On the day of Kabul’s biggest Kite Flying Day-Aamir want to win-at any cost- this means a lot to him. It will eventually buy him his father’s love and attention- yes and he succeeds at it but then something happens to Hassan that day and he (Aamir) can never forgive himself for that.
Khaled Hosseini plays with the mind of the readers taking them into the bylanes of Kabul. Hosseini’s style of writing carries a strong aroma & breath-taking visuals. At times it is not predictable but expected, the storyline and the plot are strong and grounded but it looks ‘planned’ at certain stages. Thousand Splendid Sun’s natural and unpretentious story flow overshadowed the crafted story of Kite Runner- however it is an experience, and a beautiful one. In the end maybe you, like Aamir will find redemption and solace. Go read it!