Not only is this obnoxious, but it tends to homogenize taste and lower the intellectual bar since everyone who reads two books a year can “talk books” because everyone else has read the same two. Not only do they get to feel learn-ed (with two syllables), but a common enemy is found in the person who says "No, I didn't read The DaVinci Code, but I did read the collected essays of Jacques Derrida and Vonnegut's Galapagos.”
Of course, not all best-sellers are bad, as not all buzzworthy bands are terrible, but I generally avoid ‘the next big thing’. However, I do trust my friends, and when one of them would not shut her word hole about Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, I finally caved.
And she's right. It is very good.
Taking place over several decades, The Kite Runner tells the story of protagonist Amir's personal redemption as he struggles in adulthood to reconcile his past and atone for childhood sins. Amir grew up with his friend and servant Hassan, but greedy for his father's affections and ashamed of himself for abandoning Hassan in his moment of need, Amir drove Hassan away. He lives with his guilt until the chance at redemption comes. Amir, now emigrated to
The first half of the book is a retelling so powerfully authentic that it reads like a memoir, including an account of Afghani immigrants in the
I won't give away too much, but when the child of the man you betrayed saves you in the EXACT same way that his father did long ago, it becomes too easy, almost gag-worthy. The very act of the child saving Amir makes the point— the obvious similarity is a ‘Dear Reader, you remember this, right?’ moment of epic proportions, not to mention that forcing a desired web of connections like that often leaves holes in logic that the beauty of the web cannot hide.
But my biggest complaint is a simple one, a rule of thumb for writers—get in late, get out early. Hosseini has a very evocative style, and uses it well to give readers a strong sense of what the characters feel, only to stick around 2 sentences too long and tell us what we just figured out. Amir wants his father to love him; his father gives Hassan attention; Amir cries. Excellent, we get it, no need to follow with "That hurt my feelings. I wanted that attention. All I ever wanted was for Baba to love me the way he loved Hassan." I don't know if that's just Hosseini’s style or concessions to editors/publishers saying "this could be a big thing, but you're going to need to hold the readers' hand a little more." Either way, it detracted significantly.
This appraisal may seem overly critical for a book I claim to enjoy, but despite my complaints, this is one of the best novels I’ve read in a while, and one of the rare times when pop culture and talent actually collide.
But isn't that the problem with buzzworthiness, after all? It creates an expectation for perfection, and any minor blemish stands in contrast as an ugly, jagged scar.
2 comments:
I read the Kite Runner a few years ago, and in all the time since I finished it, I still haven't been able to decide if I like the book or not. You're right that the 'buzz' creates an expectation of perfection. I guess I should know better, given the books that have generated buzz include Harry Potter, and we all know that those books aren't exactly paragons of perfection.
I think my problem with The Kite Runner is similar to yours, Adam - Hosseini beat his points to death. And whether, as you say, it's his editors or him as an author, I would prefer that the reader be assumed to have some modicum of intellect, as well as investment in the story. We can be assumed to remember how Hassan saved Amir - we don't need to have such a blatant reminder. It can be similar, and leave us to ponder the similarities. Cram it down my throat and I'll hate it, but let me have something to debate with my friends and I'll love you for it.
Another example: Amir gets beaten half to death and will be physically scarred for life. Anyone who has even been HALF paying attention to the story understands the connection to Hassan's harelip. That the scar is also on Amir's lip is too fucking easy; the fact that he goes out of his way to say 'split clean down the middle. Like a harelip.' makes me want to track the author down and beat HIM half to death for either 1) thinking his readers are so stupid that they need the help, or 2) thinking his writing is so intense that no one would be able to understand without built-in cliffnotes.
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