I finally finished The Kite Runner. I started it weeks ago but stopped about halfway through. I was profoundly moved, and I didn’t feel ready to handle the rest. Now I’m very glad I came back and saw to the end. It’s an amazing story. I want to watch it again with my wife; but not right away. Do you ever avoid things because you know you’ll be moved?

I was looking for a quote from the movie and found the entire story online. You can read it here if you’re interested, or go out and buy the book.

Khaled Hosseini, the author, is an exceptional story teller. I was convinced that his book was a memoir, because it was so real. What startled me was the intense connection with human weakness. We all fail and live with terrible secrets; we all need grace and hope. The one character who doesn’t seem to fail is the “weak one” and “the least” in society (who the author describes in his text as being like “a lamb”). His purity sets the evil around him in stark contrast and ultimately signals hope.

By the way, Hosseini’s second book has already been published with ecstatic reviews. I’m thinking of picking up a copy, although I’ve got a shelf full of books waiting. But I can always find time for a well-told story. A Thousand Splendid Suns tells of story of two women in Afghanistan. It’s another story incisively revealing our shared human condition and hope set in suffering, turmoil, and moments of grace — all within the history and culture of that place.