(Note: This is a re-post with minor edits. I once posted this summary in my old blog in 2005, which does not exist now).
Novel Title: The Kite Runner (Author: Khaled Hosseini)
This is a story about a man (a Pashtun, majority tribe in Afghanistan) revisited his homeland after receiving a letter from an old friend of his family, a letter sending a photograph of a man who used to be his childhood friend, a son of his father’s servant (a Hazara, minority tribe from lower social class).
The man told stories of his childhood years, of Afghanistan history(before Russia invasion, during and after the invasion) and of the time when he revisited the country when the Taliban was in control). An incident happened at his childhood years: he neglected his loyal and loving Hazara friend, a turning point of their relationship. For you a thousand times over, that was the last words of his friend.
His cowardice, disloyalty brought regrets and eventually brought him back to his homeland because, as the letter he received said, there’s something could be repaired. He found many things: sad revelations about his Hazara brother, his father, how his homeland had become, encounter with an old enemy. Most importantly, he found his courage.
This is a great novel, very touching. About love, hate, pride, sorrows, regrets, forgiveness, Afghans, and Afghanistan.
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