The Kite Runner in The View from the Terrace

I’ve just started reading The Kite Runner. I’ve seen the movie a couple of times but not read the book before although I did read Khaled Hosseini’s book A Thousand Splendid Suns a year or two ago and I thought it was one of the most amazing books I had ever read. The Kite Runner is also amazing. In a strange way the first part reminds me of my own childhood, which is odd, how could a story of two boys in Afghanistan in the 1970s remind me of my 50s childhood in Shropshire, but in a way that’s the whole point. Reading Khaled Hosseini’s work makes you realise that people are the same the world over, they experience the same joys, have the same problems and often behave the same way, only the setting is different.

The first part of the book tells of a boy who is somewhat priviledged, he lives in a nice house and goes to school while his friend, who is the son of his father’s servant, and who has very little and lives in a hut in the grounds and is illiterate but seems eternally happy with life.

I had a friend like that. I grew up in a pub in a working class area. I was the only child and the pub did well, my parents sent me to a private school. My friend lived up the road in a two up two down little house and her family were poor, yet she always seemed happy and saw the bright side of life. Mum was a bit of a snob and wanted me to do well. She hoped for me to go to university and marry a doctor, not become a doctor, marry one, it was still the 50s! Mum tried to encourage me to find friends at school among those from a ‘better class’ but I loved my local friend best. We are still in touch and visit occasionally. Ironically that little girl now has a daughter who is an accountant and another living in America, so she didn’t do too badly.

I’m feeling well today and the sun is shining so hope to spend some time in the garden. I have only had one day free of a migraine in the past 10 days so I am going to make the best of it. At least spending so much time resting while not well has given me time to start reading this inspiring book.