Khaled Hosseini had no credentials as a writer, when he put his fingers to the keyboard to write “The Kite Runner”. But as the novel saw the light of the day, it soon became a surprising juggernaut, showing no signs of slowing down. The novel really took off, enjoying terrific word-of-mouth success.
The novel has spent more than 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and together with Khaled Hosseini’s another novel, A Thousand Splendid Sun, it has sold 38 million copies worldwide. Why was there so much welcome to that fledgling novel. I have tried to answer the question, but am not sure if I have hit the nail on the head.
Timely Publication
The
main reason, I think, was its timely publication that took place in 2003. After
9/11 incident, Afghanistan had become the focal point of international media.
Moreover, American troops had already landed in Afghanistan by then.
Afghanistan had become a hot potato.
People
were curious to know how life of an Afghan was, what were his
feelings
and how he thought.
In all such questions, people would too considerable interest.
Then
came along The Kite Runner to answer all such question. It is a story that has
aptly
portrayed multiple arrays of life in Afghanistan and
that is narrated by an
insider. In my view, this
could be the reason why people across the globe sold it in droves.
Themes of the Novel
Second
thing is the plot of the novel. It harbors some of the commonest human feelings
of a human being like
friendship, betrayal, guilt, redemption and the uneasy love between fathers and
sons, which are universal themes.
Hosseini’s Answer the Question
“Too
often stories about Afghanistan center around the various wars, the opium
trade, the war on terrorism,” he says. “Precious little is said about the
Afghan people themselves -- their culture, their traditions, how they lived in
their country and how they manage abroad as exiles.
“I
get many letters and e-mails from readers who say how much more compassion they
feel for Afghanistan and Afghans after reading this book — some even offering
to donate money. We forget sometimes that fiction can be a powerful medium that
way.”
Saqib Wazir is a matric student, who aspires to become a fiction writer.
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Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
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