I am completely bowled over by the debut novel of by Dr. Khaled Hosseini. I may be late in reading this book but it would stay in my mind for a long time. Such an emotional packed drama it is set at the backdrop of Afghanistan and America, Taliban rule and the freedom of American soil, the sin and the redemption - surely the novelist has put his heart more into his first novel. Rather it looks like he has relived the story what with his bio perfectly coinciding with this native Afghan relocating to America.
More than the protagonist of the play (Amir), I am deeply touched by the innocent and extraordinary character of Hassan (who shines in every page) and his son, Sohrab. The author's intelligence gets splashed everywhere, a few samples I give below:
- It always hurts more to have and lose than to not have in the first place.
- He flicked his cigarette out of window. "How much more do you need to see? Let me save you the trouble: Nothing that you remember has survived. Best to forget."
"I don't want to forget anymore," I said.
- "Father used to say it's wrong to hurt even bad people. Because they don't know any better, and because bad people sometimes become good."
- In Kabul, hot running water had been like fathers, a rare commodity.
Memories die hard as they keep bouncing back fresh even after many years. Yes, the author has reaffirmed this truth in this book. A good read indeed!
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