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Some stories stay with you for the rest of your life. I read Rabindranath Tagore's short story "Kabuliwala" as a part of my school's Hindi curriculum, way back in 1993, and something about the story struck a chord in me. So it is not a great surprise that even before I finished reading the first page of "The Kite Runner", Tagore's enchanting story flooded my mind and did not recede until I found it online and read the (not-too-great) English translation of it.

What has "Kabuliwala" got to do with "The Kite Runner"? Well, nothing much except that both revolve around Afghan characters. Frankly there is nothing much I can add to the numerous reviews you can find on "The Kite Runner". But I would be failing in my work if I do not join the chorus and call Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" a mesmerizing novel that tugs at your heart the whole way. The characters, especially those of Hassan and Amir, are well developed and, something missing in the novels these days - human. The book is fast paced and there is never a dull page. Though the final section seemed a bit hurried and too full of coincidences, it takes nothing away from this beautiful story.

Some stories stay with you for the rest of your life. This might be one of them.

If you liked this book, you may also like "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon or "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.