**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

In some ways, this is a lovely story of sin and redemption. Hosseini lays out at the beginning the idea that every sin is a form of theft and then uses the rest of the story to spin out the idea that redemption happens when goodness is born of guilt and that war or war-like situations demand a higher level of integrity and decency from people who often fail in that regard. He uses Amir and Hassan's stories and the larger story of Afghanistan (at least at first) to drive these themes.

Hosseini's prose is certainly nothing spectacular, but still impressive given that English isn't his first language. He has a vivid style that's able to make Afghan culture accessible to Americans (most of whom had never heard of Kabul or the Taliban before September 11 and most of whom still couldn't locate it on a map during the US bombing of Afghanistan). For that reason alone, Hosseini could be an important writer because he can hit the American best-seller list as an Afghan, publishing in English about Aghanistan.

But in some ways, it was a little TOO Americanized. Parts of it just **screamed** "movie contract" -- the flashbacks during Hassan's rape, the fight scene between Amir and Assef, the kites at the beginning and the end. And, while I'm willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a good story, too much in this story strained credibility to the point of distraction and was overly predictable. Hassan was so angelic, he was unreal. Running into Assef again, who just happens to have Hassan's son, who just happens to give Amir a split lip that just happens to resemble Hassan's harelip? Please! And I could see the last 60 pages coming from a mile away. The second we find out Hassan had a son who is not orphaned, it was way too obvious the kid was going to go home with Amir (who conveniently couldn't have a baby of his own). I even knew when he mentioned the razor blades that Sohrab was going to attempt suicide.

Those last 60 pages were what really shot my whole opinion of the book. This overly-predictable, overly-melodramatic Not-Without-My-Daughter-meets-Beaches garbage. Hosseini had a real chance to tell the story of Afghan history, politics, and culture in the context of these vivid characters and he blew it. He presented the question during Amir's return to Afghanistan of why fascism appeals to insecure and unstable populations as a means of easing their fear, but then he failed to answer that question in any meaningful way and just abandoned it for an imminently action/adventure filmable Rescue of Sohrab from their childhood nemesis with a psuedo-heartwarming ending.

It went downhill from there as he abandoned his Afghan voice entirely and started using American phrasing that were inconsistent with the earlier narration -- "I felt like a prick", "What's up?", etc. And I thought his handling of September 11 was just irresponsible. He mentions the event itself, but then there's no mention at all of the fallout in Afghan communities in the US. Nothing about the people hiding in their homes because people who appeared Middle Eastern were harrassed, assaulted, or sometimes killed. No mention of the outrage American Afghans felt at the abrupt change in US policy towards Afghanistan or the subsequent war. Nothing. I have to wonder, cynically, if he purposely left this out because he knew how many of his American audience he would piss off if he appeared "un-American" and I just don't have much respect for that.

Overall, the book entertained me, but was ultimately a disappointment.

Order for the bookring:

Marieke
STORMYBREEZE

Released on Thursday, October 28, 2004 at about 8:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at postal release in Heerenveen, Netherlands Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to begin its bookring journey in The Netherlands!

Yoohoo, it arrived! About 2 hours ago, and I did glimpse at it, but it'll have to wait a bit now, there are some groupreads I need to finish before a certain date. But I won't wait too long, promise.

Marieke.

ps.
By the way, the postmark says November 26, so it didn't take as long as I thought, but still nearly 2 months.

Well, I just finished it, and send a message to Stormybreeze.
And Jennifer, I hadn't read your review, didn't want any spoilers, but when I read it now I laughed. The first 140 pages orso I enjoyed, but as soon as they left Afghanistan it was over for me, and I kept thinking "Hallmark!", "Disney!", especially the last 60 orso pages were awful I thought. Plus, I really, really disliked Amir, and for me he could never make up for being the "spoiled apple" he was. It was all way too easy. Oh, and one technical slip up, the American couple that was supposed to adopt Sohrab, at first they're called Thomas & Betty, later on in the book they're John & Betty. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I hate things like that. Anyway, 6, 6.5, no more from me either.

Marieke.

Well, I finally, finally!, sent the book back to you, Jennifer. The slow way, so don't hold your breath.
Thanks for lending it to me. :)

Marieke.

I'm suprised there wasn't more interest in this ring, but it's back home now and back on the shelf. Thanks.