Published in 2003, this book isn't entirely recent, however, the relevance and lessons learnt from this book can be used in our everyday lives.
Set in Afghanistan during the era of the 1970s it is a tale of a young boy, Amir, and his servant friend, Hassan. Amir is constantly seeking his father's affection and attention and is jealous when his father shows both to Hassan. Throughout this story Hassan's loyalty to Amir is without a doubt, so much so that he promises that he will help Amir win a kite-fighting tournament which Amir longs to win in order to gain his father's approval. All is well with the two boys until after the kite-fighting tournament where things take a horrible turn.
A few years later due to the political situation in Afghanistan Amir and his father flee to America. I will not continue as I do not want to give any spoilers, however, I would like to share my opinion of it.
In my opinion the three themes that really stand out are:
Class differentiation
Amir has everything his heart desires in terms of material things. He lives in a fancy house, he has servants who make his food and he has the opportunity to go to school unlike his loyal friend Hassan who lives in the hut at the back, he serves Amir and he doesn't get the opportunity to go to school. Yet Amir lacks. He craves attention from his father and constantly seeks his approval. At times he gets jealous of the attention his father shows to Hassan. This jealousy is then taken out on Hassan - either by teasing him and asking him to affirm his loyalty or by not wanting Hassan to join in on certain excursions initiated by the father. Even though Hassan lives a humble and simple life he is always happy.
A lot of us find ourselves in similar situations today. We have and we want and want but we do not take the time for gratitude. It is a constant chase to gain "wants" and we end up being unhappy. Gratuity leads to a life of less wants and we can focus on what we have instead of always focusing on what we want.
Friendship
Hassan shows complete loyalty towards Amir. So much so that he has found himself in trouble more than once when standing up for Amir. However, this isn't always reciprocated and the guilt of this eats on Amir.
In the world we live in today, as based on the theme above, we constantly want and this is the same in our relationships. We want friends to care for us and to look out for us, however when the roles are reversed it becomes inconvenient.
Guilt
Throughout this book the emotion of "guilt" is rife. It portrays the way in which people live with guilt and what it does to their decision-making, their actions and their behaviours.
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this book - I know I'm delayed and so many have already read it but if you haven't please do yourself a favour and get a copy. If you are looking for something gripping, thought-provoking which will bring out a whirlwind of emotions, then this story is for you. There were times I had to put the book down just to say "wow" and really think about what happened. And then there were times that it brought upon a smile.
If you are extremely sensitive I wouldn't suggest it, an overview would do you better.
As mentioned in my comments above there are so many lessons we can take away from this book. It really is a relevant, emotionally-gripping story.
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