the kite runner- khaled hosseini

finally, an unforgettable book!
usually, reading a book just means forgetting the plot and the substance as soon as i start the next one. but this one is going to stay with me a long time.
it's a story about an afghan boy growing up in a affluent home, at a time when afghanistan was still a peaceful place. but amir is scared, and usually needs someone like his servant and best friend, hassan, to defend him against the bullies. he yearns for the love of his father, which he does not seem to recieve. his father, potrayed as any child would potray a father they love, admire, and are extremely in awe of, is afraid that "a boy who can't stand up for himself will grow up into a man who can't stand up for himself" ( can't vouch for the exact words as i don't have the book in front of me, but it's close enough).
the tale goes on to describe how amir fails in the test put before him, and he tries to cover up. he grows into a tortured soul who never forgets that he has failed not just those he loved, but himself too.
from afghanistan to america, and then back to taliban-held afghanistan, the story follows amir in his attempt to set things right, to redeem himself, and to find, in the words of the book, 'a way to be good again'.
it is a touching tale, filled with reality. who can't identify with the attempt to stand up for oneself, and overcome one's greatest fears? i certainly can. i see so much of myself in the scared child, the one who runs and hides when it would have been correct to stand up and be hurt for it. it describes with frightful clarity the fear, the self-disgust, the pathetic attempts at gaining what one desires even at the cost of others, and the courage that is just a readiness to be hurt and pay for one's mistakes.
and it is no fairy tale in it's ending either. it is extremely realistic in telling us that much as we would like for things to be 'happily ever after', life rarely turns out that way; that though we have a chance at redemption, we may not set all things right.

the seventh harry potter

i managed to read the last harry potter in a few breathless hours over the weekend, and thus managed to throw my usual schedule out of kilter. as a result, i have an extra pile of dirty clothes waiting to be laundered, and the room's till dusty.
but anyway.....i'd say it was well worth it
the first three books had an innocence to them that was refreshing. i really loved the unbeatable combination of boarding school life and magic.
the next three books were dark and brooding
i still remember thinking that as far as writing or children went, the death of cedric diggory in the fourth book was an extremely badly-managed piece. but i guess from that book on, rowling was no longer writing just for children
the fifth and sixth books did not make any special impression on me. almost felt directionless.
but this one was, oh wow!
deathly hallows has some interesting theological elements in it too.
the idea that victory over death being in meeting it head-on and fearlessly seems to ring a (christian) bell.
i loved the ending. some say it was too corny and sugary. but you know me, i'm a die-hard romantic, and totally fall for the kind of endings epitomized by this one.
and i always end up imagining the future.
right now, i'm wondering about remus lupin's and tonks' kid. both parents died fighting voldemort. wonder what he'll grow up into. another harry potter?
but perhaps, it is too good an ending to keep dragging further into the future. it looks good where it lies.
thanks j.k. rowling, it was a really good series.