ewee (16/26): Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Ok, there's not much I can say that kw hasn't already said (and better'n I could...). And I'm almost caught up (got waylaid by a coupla self-help books this weekend that might just be too eh to finish...).

So, suffice to say, I'd been putting off reading this book cuz I knew it wouldn't be easy--I had an inkling that there'd be some content that was emotionally difficult. But when I finally sat down with this book (on a Friday after work), it was very literally unputdownable. I never skip ahead...or I never used to...this book had me flipping forward and then chastising myself for looking ahead. In the end, I stayed up all night to finish it. It's worth savoring and reading slowly, but I'm not sure I could have.

Complex characters (the protagonist is painted in an unforgiving, yet very compassionate, light), gripping plot (not so much written as tightly woven from several strands of story lines), tragedy, redemption (but not a simple, or even complete, redemption), and complete immersion into the world of this story...I'm not even going to bother watching the movie. There's no way it could compare to the book, and I'm not sure I want or need someone else's visuals in the way of my experience of this story.

Ok, nevermind me, check out the links
(warning: links contain spoilers):

• Google books: Kite Runner.
• Wikipedia's Kite Runner listing.
• The author's website, khaledhosseini.com.
• A summary on Wikisummaries
• Salon.com's review of the movie.
• NYTimes on the movie (and the story of the actors who had to flee the country).
• "killer kites" photoessay on wired.