Kite Runner - Khalid Hosseini

Significance
Kite Runner tells the story of true platonic love in the midst of a culture in turmoil. From birth its two main characters are seemingly destined to be best friends, but the pressures of war and survival lead them to period of betrayal and distrust.
Even today, this theme of loyalty, love and trust amidst turmoil rings true. We live in a world that aches and begs for these qualities to be apparent. Friendships are constantly tested by differences that should be seen as good, but are treated as negative qualities.

Perspective
The novel is told from the perspective of Amir, a well-to-do Afghan boy, and follows his life as a sort of bildungsroman, or "coming of age" story. His family is forced through a rags to riches to rags lifestyle that is catalyzed by the ethnic war in Afghanistan.

Evidence
Amir's relationship with his best friend Hassan, who happens to be the son of his father's servant, is the parallel plot of the novel. As the boys' world in Afghanistan crumbles, so does the closeness of their relationship to each other.
The title of the novel comes from kite fighting competitions that were once commonplace in Afghan communities. Multiple boys would fly kites with glass-filled kite string and try to cut the lines of their competitor's kites. When a kite was cut their servants would "run" to grab the kites as prizes for their master's who cut them loose. This sort of "joy-filled" servitude is the background for the relationship between Amir and Hassan.


Connections
Kite Runner takes place in an Afghanistan that is on the brink of being taken over by the Taliban. The Soviet reign over the region has been destroyed and the war with the west has not yet begun. We know see the product of this hostility, a war-torn country that has been abused by terrorism and genocide. We can also see why American presence in Afghanistan has been more welcomed than that in Iraq.

Supposition
I believe the novel was well-written, but could be very graphic for some adolescent audiences. The experiences of Amir and Hassan strike a chord that is still very effective in our world, and I believe that the story would carry an equal power if it were cast upon another time period or setting.
The one necessity of the book is that the plight of the country runs parallel to the journey of its hero(es). The art of Hosseini's writing is that he carries the two story with equal attention and importance.

Here is a link to website for the upcoming motion picture: http://www.kiterunnermovie.com