The Kite Runner

This is definitely, without a doubt, the best book we've ever had to read for school.

I'd already had high hopes for it when I started it because my mom had loved it and had been dying for me to read it. And I must say, it far exceeded my hopes for it.

The writing itself is so vivid, and Hosseini paints an excellent picture in the novel. The writing style makes it feel like Hosseini himself is the narrator, not Amir. In fact, when we had to take a quiz on the first few chapters of the book, there were a fair amount of people who hadn't realized it was a novel. Instead, they'd thought it was a memoir of sorts.

The characters feel real and Hosseini conveys the pain of the story thoroughly so that the reader himself feels it. You feel for all the characters (well maybe not Assef), not because they're perfect, but because they are all so flawed. Amir, in particular, is one of the most flawed characters of the novel, and because of it, he feels so human. If I had any complaints character-wise, it would probably be that at times Hassan did not have the same sort of realness that the other characters did. He was a little too perfect at times, and I had difficulties discerning any flaws in his character.

The plot is gripping and moves along at a fantastic pace. The events that occur in the novel are necessary, and it did not feel as if there were many unnecessary details. Unfortunately, I can't say anything else because of spoilers, but I can say that everything that happens in the book is somehow tied to a particular event towards the beginning of the novel.

Overall, it was phenomenal. I definitely recommend it to many people, as long as they're ready for it maturity-wise.