The Kite Runner -- and Muhammad, Afghan boy we met at Isfahan, Iran

Finally completed Khaled Hosseini's sublime first novel "The Kite Runner." The ravages of war and the inhumanity of man against man is incomprehensible, but such is life and life goes on. Most importantly, the story is about redemption for sins of omissions in the past, of making things good again, and giving those who are less fortunate than us a new lease of life. It was about the nature of Truth, and how the truth will always catch up with you - so best be clean about it anyways. (Of course, life is never that clear-cut or black or white). It was also about the discovery and presence of God and the beauty of having faith.

Melisaurus was right: there are so may lessons to be learnt from the book. Thank you Oracle of Sherry for telling me about this book :D I hardly read fiction these days, so this book redeemed my faith in fiction. So few works of fiction, no matter how well-written, can capture my attention long enough for me to give the book a chance or to complete it. The Kite Runner was a wonderful breath of fresh air.

Although it was extremely poignant, and plenty of times, I could feel myself tear. Life can be so hard. Yet people trudge on -- and some, like Hassan, remain so positive and good. Wonderfully inspiring.

Hassan is a wonderful embodiment of Good, Patience, Forgiveness. Features which ought to be the foundation of our value system. So many lessons to learn and inculcate in my life :)

Now, next to Yasmin Ahmad, Khaled Hosseini has become my hero -- and I cannot wait for his next book.

Much of the beautifully written story is set against pre-war Afghanistan. Incidentally, one of my best spokespersons is this British consultant who used to work in the Middle East -- selling water heaters to the Arabs! Gasp! Anyways, he's extremely talented -- he could sell refrigerators to the Eskimoes ;) He said that Afghanistan was an incredibly beautiful country -- and it was a shame that it was war-torn and in shambles. It was certainly a place worth visiting.


I visited Iran in mid-2004. One of the best things I remembered was Muhammad, this Chinese-looking Afghan boy, with a pixie face, the sweetest smile and a quiet demeanour, who found us at Imam Square in Isfahan. He sold us hairclips. He didn't hassle us at all, just stood around us and waited for us. He was cute, he told us oh so softly that he was Afghan, his family had come to Iran when he was young, fled the war. There was no angst about the war. Just the simple truth. We all fell in love with him. Everyone of us ladies bought clips from him. He was a born salesman because he was arresting to look at and we fell for the quiet charm. I placed the clip on my backpack, but when I landed in Singapore, it was no longer there. Quite sad.

Muhammad reminded me of Hassan, Ali and Sohrab in The Kite Runner, the Hazaras. I wonder if he was one of the Hazaras. Due to his Central Asian features. If he had to run away from majority Pashtun and majority Sunni Afghanistan to predominantly Shia Iran. Were he and his family refugees? Wherever he is and whatever he is doing, I wish Muhammad much safety, peace, and largesse in caring for his family. I pray that he has the opportunity for education as a means of moving up in the world.