The protagonist,Amir, is a pashtun,a sunni muslim ,born in Kabul,Afghanistan to a rich man.He grew up wid Hasan, a boy his age,son of Ali,a shia muslim,a hazara and servant to Amir’s father.
I wudnt go into the story to spoil off the fiction that, at stages, unfolds tragedically.
"Amir and Hasan.The Sultans of Kabul"
True to the undiscriminating nature of children, this social boundary means little. Amir and Hasan are best friends,until a brutal act of jealousy-induced violence topped off with a just as brutal act of betrayal, changed everything.
Through the relationship between them , Hosseini takes us into the ditches of our heart,and explores the intricacies of human mind and soul...how we continue to see "differences" amongst us ,even though we remain oblivious to them,how the social bulwark between us may prevent us from amassing up the courage to stand for the one we love most,how guilt may suck you down like a voracious worm,even though you try to pole-vault and move on,how the heart always remains pure and seeks redemption for itself.
It also defines the "blood-ties" in a very intimate and poignant way;the dilemma that faces a man torn into two is well penned down.
In the background is the unfortunate de-establishment of monarch in Afghanistan and sequential rule by the roshawis,then the northern alliance and finally by the taliban;and how each rule contributed to turning Kabul(in particular) and Afghanistan(in general) to the hell it had become for its own people.
May be the best fiction I have read. Have’nt seen the movie yet,but has been compelled to do so now.
"Quiet is peace.Tranquility.Quiet is turning down the VOLUME knob on life.Silence is pushing the OFF button,Shutting it down. All of it."
No comments:
Post a Comment