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Comments:
Laura - 2005-03-10 23:19:16 ...an ineffectual, only emptily symbolic attempt to pay back the "30 pieces of silver."* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 08:45:06 I liked the parallelism in the book and how the past and present overlapped at least in everyone's collective memory. Parts were heavy-handed, but I thought the cumulative effect was brilliant and gave it a non-western feel -- stuffing money under the mattress as a way of atonement versus as a gesture of gratitude, Amir becoming a "harelip" like his half-brother and Amir becoming father to the son of his slain half-brother). The effect, I thought, was imaginative, brilliant and parable-like -- e.g., Sohrab (without knowing he was fulfilling his father's pledge to keep Amir safe) made Assef the one-eyed monster ... the reversal of the story in the book Amir and Hassan read as children (Sohrab the slain son) and the juxtaposition of the son - Sohrab - saving a life. A few things were a bit weird or maybe the editing was a problem - why did Hassan confide in Rhamin Khan? The book never developed that relationship and I'd forgotten Rhamin Khan by his phone-call to Amir. Also, the forward is dated Dec. 2001, but later when the same info is presented again, it's labeled Summer, 2001 *before* 9/11. I think the editing was a problem. In al, I really loved this book and I felt as if I was getting a rare glimpse into the Afghan psyche and life before the Russian invasion. Fascinating, riveting, well-crafted, beautiful, heartbreaking.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 09:01:26 The last part of your comment is what I loked about KR too. I felt I was given a look out a window into the street life of Afghanistan. By virtue of the first-person POV, I had a look into the culture, too. I hadn't known how intractable was the gulf between the Pashtun and the Hazara peoples. On the one hand, I appreciated learning about that...on the other, it made me sad to see such a senseless caste system causing so much needless pain.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 09:08:33 I had known literally nothing about Afghanistan going into the book. I had been to Inner Mongolia, and I thought of Afghanistan as basically IM with less grass -- remote with nomaidic people living in Yurts with horses and camels. I didn't realize that the cities were so urban and settled, and I knew literally nothing about the division between the Pashtuns and Hazara (though there are interesting parallels with the Shia, Kurds, etc. in Iraq). I felt like I gained a lot more insight into middle-Eastern/Arab culture (though it's obvious from the book that there is no one thing called 'middle-Eastern culture). I also felt I better understood the emotional impact of the emphasis on honor.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 09:29:54 I knew nothing about Afghanistan before reading KR. You are perceptive, I think, to comment on the role of honor in the book. It seemed to be an extremely strong cultural value, and kept reappearing throughout the book in different ways. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 09:33:32 Another thing I liked: the cultural "universals" -- the need for romantic connection, the need that boys have for their fathers, and the difficulty of boys in getting that emotional need met, the cruelty of children to other children. The people in the book were psychologically different, but not so different as to be unrecognizable.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 09:36:00 I can't wait until the others get to their lunch or coffee breaks and jump in, because I could go on monologue-style forever.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 10:00:12 You are more than welcome to, given how interesting your comments are. I had a different take on the "psychologically different" comment. I found the people in the book startlingly familiar. That was an eye-opener. It wasn't as if the cultural wall was so high that there was no way to relate to or understand the Afghanistanians. They were just everyday people like people here--aside from cultural differences like the serf caste. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 10:17:24 I thought they were psychologically different because because of the cultural differences (though I agree, also startlingly familiar). I thought in a sense that Amir was caught in a trap -- paradoxically he wanted to appear honorable to his father behaving dishonrably toward his half-brother. Also, he wasn't able to know that it was his half-brother because of his father's cover-up of his own dishonorable behavior (fathering a servant's child). All of this was compounded by cultural norms that allowed his half-brother to experience such extreme prejudice both from within and from without his family. I forget the half-brother's name and I've lent out my copy of the book....* * * * * * * * * * * * addiann - 2005-03-11 10:17:25 On the whole I found The Kite Runner easy to put down. The narrator's self pity and jealousies became tiresome pretty quickly, and the central theme surrounding Hassan, a mire of caste system and hopelessness, was very depressing and his end predictable. No surprise the author killed him off. Mr. Hosseini's (author) own case of depression, a la Reynolds Price for example, is pretty clear......This is not to say the writing isn't quite lovely and brilliant on occasion. This phrase - "And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too." - jumped out at me. A wonderful observation; one I hadn't read before or thought of in quite those words.......Yes, I too found the inside look into Afghan life fascinating and illuminating. And maddening. The regard and treatment of women is horrifying, including casual mention of multiple wives and a seemingly total domination of society by the men. Who seem to be loaded up with guilt if the narrator is any example....I also agree there were holes in the story, but I wouldn't blame the editor.........At times I thought the author was bent on educating rather than giving us a compelling novel. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 10:23:23 My take on the editing is that the book was probably much too long and that the editor told him he had to get it down to a reasonable length, eliminating a bunch of characters that at first seemed like they would be central. I thought the description of the kite contest was incredible -- who would ever have thought that a kite flying competition could be thrilling? The description of the soccer match meshes 100% with descriptions I've read in other books (one was Florence of Arabia). I thought it was really interesting that the society had elements of brutality before the Taliban got there, but nothing like what the Taliban brought. * * * * * * * * * * * * addiann - 2005-03-11 10:30:59 The kite contests were interesting examples of sanctioned organized brutality I thought. For children no less. Getting one's hands cut up in a friendly game of kite flying and accepting it as par for the course! * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 10:54:51 I loved the kite contest. Yes, they used glass-covered strings...but I suppose you could say that plenty of sports here are just as brutal...just my opinion. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 11:01:28 I didn't realize that they were covered with glass -- I thought the cuts were rope burn (I also agree that there are plenty of sports here that are just as brutal, e.g., boxing and football) -- at least it involved juist their hands. Also, I wonder why they didn't wear protective hand-gear. Weird. * * * * * * * * * * * * addiann - 2005-03-11 11:03:59 oh, indeed. You don't have to scratch me very deeply to find a pacifist, and football is a great example of brutal. But it seemed just another way to teach children that pain and bleeding is necessary to getting the prize, to put it perhaps simplistically. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 11:06:37 Addiann's comments bring up an interesting point. When you find you don't like a book, what is it that turns you off? Is the writing style? For example, a very affected or pretentious style? Or is it the subject matter? In my case I try to stick to the former and accept the latter, but I did have some sticking points with KR. The narrator wasn't very likeable. He had lost his mother, yes. But he was so ungrateful for his station in life. And not nice to Hassan to say the least. The ultimate redemption created by the adoption rang a bit hollow with me since--it was Amir who'd created the problem in the first place, by betraying Hassan and his father.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 11:08:31 It's not? My psyche has bled rather deeply for most of accomplishments.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 11:13:59 Then, on the writing style side of things, there were several awkward plot devices. Amir's getting a harelip, just like Hassan (I had to roll my eyes at that). The parallelism between the rape of Hassan and of his son--it was too neat and felt contrived. The ending seemed rushed--"OK, close it all down."* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 11:15:37 I found the young Amir unlikeable, but through situations that weren't entirely of his making. He was terribly ungrateful, but so is Paris Hilton, etc.. What I would have found unforgivable is if the character hadn't changed at all. I'm glad that the author didn't make him into a saint because then the story would just have been one of the big bad Russians ruining everything and forcing them out of the country. I found the story to be much more human because their lives went on as history went on around them. I found his attitude once in the states remarkable, refreshing and I would guess semi-autobiographical. And so different from folks who sit around in taxpayer supported housing complaining while doing nothing to improve their lives. He'd lost everything yet managed somehow to find himself and become the man he should be. After all, despite what terrible things we might have done as children (and in our darkest moments each of us has done something to betray or hurt a childhood friend -- I am willing to bet), how many of us would get on a plane and go to Afghanistan with all the risks that involves to save the child of a one-time friend.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 11:16:28 Oops, we have a bit of blender effect here in the comments. Yes, Anna, they mentioned buying the special glass-string coated with glue & broken fragments of glass (I think, if I remember right, that the Japanese also have glass-coated strings in kite competitions). * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 11:17:52 I agree that the end was abrupt -- again, what I think happened (not that it excuses thigns) was that the author (a first-time author) wrote his magnus opus in 800 pages and was told to pare it down. I think that's common for first-time authors. I also didn't like the hare-lip.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 11:21:42 You're right now that you mention the glass string... I just somehow didn't encode it (I also read this book over six weeks ago, so I'm less fresh on details). When they talked about cutting the kites, i was a little confused (I thought maybe fragile string is cut when crossed with string that is high-tension, but glass makes a lot more sense). Anyway.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 12:11:35 Dan Arbor, where are you?* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 12:13:01 Oh, he's comin' 'round the mountain...I'm sure we'll hear from him. * * * * * * * * * * * * LF - 2005-03-11 12:32:40 Dan was promised a copy of KR, but it fell through. I tried to get my copy to him, but it didn't work out. I never had time to crack the book even once. Pathetic, yet true.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 12:32:46 Anna: I agree, the quick ending was doubtless due to editing. May we talk for a minute about the depiction of women in the book? There are two issues here: the customs of Afghan culture, and the manner in which Hosseini depicted women in the book. To take the first one, I was thankful I was not an Afghani woman. It was taken for granted in that society that they were second-class citizens. That was not even questioned. As far as Hosseini's writing, this was a man's book. Starting out with no mothers, and without any strong female characters at all. There's nothing wrong with that, but it was striking. It isn't till Amir meets Soraya at the flea market that the first medium-sized female character appears. Amir seemed oblivous to the sacrifice he was laying on his new wife by assuming she's care for his ailing Baba (after doing away with the engagement period because Baba was dying). Not the easiest way to start a new marriage--to take care of a bedridden invalid. Amir didn't seem to give much thought to it--just assumed she'd do so. So I felt a bit sorry for Soraya. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 12:57:12 I agree on all counts. Thank god I'm not an Afghani woman. I think that part of what the book illustrated is that boys need their mothers -- fathers, especially in that culture, are remote and don't have very good access to their feelings, and mothers might help balance that out, especially in male-centric cultures. I thought that he was remarkably egalitarian in his marriage -- his respect, love for his wife -- given no example and an upbringing in his culture. I agree that it was a lot to ask (and assume) that she would care for his ailing father, but she seemed to take that for granted as much as he did. I don't think it was a flaw of the author, really, as much as an illustration of how far that culture has to go. Of course, that's likely what would end up happening in this culture, whether we like to think so or not.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 13:04:26 You are right. It would happen in this culture. I realized I chose a similar fate in fact. For a while. As far as his Baba being distant, well, that was true. However, Amir didn't do much to foster the relationship. And of course Baba paid for Hassan's operation. Then there was the sympathetic fatherly male character of Rahim Khan, who was close to Amir.* * * * * * * * * * * * Dan Arbor - 2005-03-11 13:08:45 Hello. I'm sorry I haven't been involved, but I've been sick for the past couple of days. I expected a copy of KR to arrive gratis some time ago, so I held off on buying it. Unfortunately, by the time it became clear that it wasn't going to happen, I was laid up this nasty cold. I'm picking up a copy later today, and I'll join in sometime over the weekend. Hope I didn't screw things up...* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 13:11:56 Of course not! Everyone will be interested in what you think whenever you get around to it--and if you don't, well of course that's no problem. Sickness comes first needless to say. Hope you feel better. Half our staff is down with something that appears to be the flu.* * * * * * * * * * * * addiann - 2005-03-11 14:31:03 That's a very nasty cold, or whatever it is. I'm getting over it now too, and worst of all, my computer went dead at the same time! Dragging around the house with no computer to stare at makes a bad cold so much worse.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 14:34:37 Yep. Got it myself. Fever, body aches, general glueiness, coughing. Thinking fondly of getting home and taking a nap and drinking lots of soup. Speaking of food, that was another item I liked about KR--the many mentions of local food, in an offhand way that taught the reader what the food was. Quite interesting; another aspect of culture.* * * * * * * * * * * * addiann - 2005-03-11 15:50:37 I certainly agree that the look into Afghanistan everyday life was fascinating. (That's a biggie in the next book too.)* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 15:52:42 Yes, even so small a detail as the periodic appearance of the flatbread naan kind of makes you feel you are there. Other, thoughtful details like the disappearance of meat after the rise of the Taliban, give the book authenticity.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 16:33:41 Well, if Vishnu is better than KR, I am *really* looking forward to reading it.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 16:35:16 I wonder why so many cultures have, essentially, naan. The name is even the same in India, and we had something like it in Mongolia (though never, ever in China). I wonder who brought it where.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-11 16:39:13 Oh -- and I didn't mean that the father figures were unsympathetic, or were not loving in their own way (I found it touching, actually, how much Amir's father loved Hassan. He could have done better by Hassan, but he also could have done far worse and the cultural constraints made things excedingly difficult). But it was as if the men were behind glass -- able to see each other and hear a little, but their voices were muffled and they could only communicate with great effort. I have often times felt that way with the men in my life, so I just thought it was interesting.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 16:42:26 No bread per se in Korea, either, though Western foods were making inroads when I was there in the early 90s, to the dismay of the older generation. Other naan-y bread: tortilla.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-11 16:45:26 "Behind glass" is well put, I think...except maybe for Ramil Khan. But even RK is kind of at a distance.* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: |