Friday, November 21, 2008

"For you, a thousand times over."

I googled this phrase and found scores of blogs with the same title. It rings like a bell; high pitched, resonant. It doesn't let you go.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel that evokes every possible human emotion in its reader. The praise that this book has acclaimed is warranted and it is one of those books you need to read at least twice. I started reading this book almost a year ago and stopped short of a hundred pages. I felt as though I was witnessing and warranting a gross inhuman crime by reading it; I was in Amir's shoes, watching painfully as the story unfolded. I had to leave this book, for a another time. A time when I would be better prepared to feel this pain.

I just finished reading the last few pages of this book today. I cried. And smiled too. I can't possibly write a review to justify The Kite Runner. It is an intense translation of human thought, feeling and action. It is the voice of a conscience, questioning and understanding loyalty, justice, disgrace and courage. It is no different from us, yet it is not us.

A journey of life and love summed up in a line- "For you, a thousand times over."