js reviewed De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini
Review of 'De vliegeraar' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Gaandeweg aangrijpend, en met het hoofdkarakter meegroeien van stuntelend naar magistraal.
Paperback, 394 pages
English language
Published Sept. 21, 2004 by Anchor Canada.
Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, and apparently dissolved when Amir and his father flee to California to escape the Soviet invasion, leaving Hassan and his own gentle father to a terrible fate.
But years later, an old family friend calls Amir from Pakistan and reminds him: "There is a way to be good again." And Amir journeys back to a distant world to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had. --back cover
Gaandeweg aangrijpend, en met het hoofdkarakter meegroeien van stuntelend naar magistraal.
I think the first two thirds is a four star book and the last third is more of a three star book. I just found the end a little too fantastical. Also, my ignorance of the historical parts makes me wonder how much social/political/religious commentary I am just not picking up on and what the real perspective is. But those things aside, it is a page turner. He really nails guilt, what happens when you don't do the right thing out of fear, what happens when you let bullies and sociopaths do their worst.
For good or ill, this is the type of book that I'm going to compare to [book:Midnight's Children]. This is not a fair comparison, I'll admit. In the end, though, this book feels more like John Irving than Salman Rushdie. That's not a bad thing, if you're a fan of Irving's neat and tidy, overly contrived plot resolutions.