Journal Entry 1 by GVFool from Sagamihara / 相模原市, Kanagawa-ken Japan on Monday, January 01, 2007

This book is well worth reading on a number of levels, and the delightful part of it is that you only realize how well it is crafted once you've finished it and can look back over the story with the full knowledge of how it unfolds. 

Journal Entry 2 by iMart from Unknown, somewhere in Tokyo / 不明、東京のどこか, Tokyo-to Japan on Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I found this book interesting and the story powerful but problematic nonetheless. I guess I expected to get more from a first novel from an Afghan author in English. Instead you get heavy doses of two things. First, a dry and almost journalistic description of places and names in modern Afghan history (sorry, I could get that information from wikipedia and do not need the peppering of the random fact when it's immaterial to the central story). Second, although the central relationship is riveting, it's also very heavy-handedly portrayed on an arc of redemption that feels too religious, I'd even go so far as to say too "Christian" (even though all characters are Muslims, the hero finds his redemption by going back to religion and should I say? being 'reborn' in his faith). I loved Baba because of his different approach to religion, but Amir eventually finds satisfaction and self-acceptance only after he returns to religion.
I'm sure this second point explains a lot of the sales of this novel in the US. It also gives the story a forced, almost saccharine feel. I'm sure that its adaptation to the kind of screenplay --so favored by Hollywood-- about suffering and eventual redemption must not be that far in the future. Pity because it has amazing characters (Baba, Hassan and, of course, Sohrab) that deserve better. 

Journal Entry 3 by iMart at nowhere special in Unknown, somewhere in Tokyo / 不明、東京のどこか, Tokyo-to Japan on Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Released 5 yrs ago (4/17/2007 UTC) at nowhere special in Unknown, somewhere in Tokyo / 不明、東京のどこか, Tokyo-to Japan

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