It seems silly for me to review this book, when so many people have given their opinions on it, but here goes. Khaled Hosseini has put together an incredibly complicated character in Amir. He paints a glorious picture of the child's view of his country. While the child Amir sees some things with incredible clarity and empathy (like the fact that Hassan may be smarter than him, even though he can't read), it takes a visit back to Afghanistan for him to understand that his experience may not have been the same as other Afghanis. The duality of the country from each of his separate times there provide the reader with an excellent comparison of Pre-Soviet, Russian Occupation, and now Taliban Occupation ... and even the Americanization of Amir, as he shows an unwillingness to part with his "new country" to go back to his homeland. This is further evidenced by the references to American coverage of their War on Terror in his country and the reactions, or lack thereof, by the Afghani immigrants to San Francisco.

I won't "spoil" this book for the few unfortunates who haven't read it, but suffice it to say that the historical losses that Afghanistan has experienced from the Soviets and the Taliban take a back seat to the personal loss that our narrator, Amir, suffers, sometimes through no fault of his own and sometimes completely due to his own actions or inactions.

Khaled Hosseini has put together an excellent set of characters, a brilliant description of his homeland, and a plot that is both terrible and thought-provoking in its terror.