I read this novel five years ago and I confess, at that time, It was my best read for some time.

I enjoyed this book. Amir the narrator of the novel has narrated it beautifully. The sense of insecurity in the father-son relation has been woven nicely and the sense of redemption and guilt is the main theme in the psyche of the narrator. I found the entire story heart wrenching and the scenes and plot around the friendship of two boys from two different and opposite strata of the society were perfectly written and composed by Khaled. Novel's depiction is full of warmth and humor.

Being the first work of Khaled, I admire his way of writing and the way he advances his story.
Don't be surprised, If you find your eyes wet sometimes while turning some of the pages of the kite runner... !!

“There is only one sin. and that is theft... when you tell a lie, you steal someones right to the truth.”

and then...

“There is a way to be good again...”

Though at times, somewhere in between, I found it lacking in pace still the entire plot was engaging. The most interesting part of the story for me was the friendship portrayal of Aamir and Hassan. It was written with all tenderness and innocence of childhood.

"Though they both climbed the poplar trees together... ... On the south end of the garden, in the shadows of a loquat tree, Hassan lived alone without him in the servant quarters."

A genius idea for a story that could have been deep and meaningful in more than a 'I think we can get a screenplay out of this' way. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, it was, very, but it isn't literature. The characters are cheesy and one dimensional and appear and disappear in not very realistic ways throughout the book. The politics are none to subtle either. But, it was a good and undemanding read and I've rounded up the 3.5 stars to a 4.

Usually if I enjoy a book on a fairly shallow level, one where I'm not invested emotionally and will be upset if the director has a different vision from me, I can't wait to see the film. But in this case, I've read the book, it's enough, I don't think I would ever reread it either.

Enjoy it when you want something undemanding, a nice blockbuster type of book set in exotic climes, but don't expect it to live up to the hype, it's just not that good.