A shamelessly sentimental novel that tries a bit too hard to induce tears and tug at the readers' heartstrings. The book has the plot and feel of an emotional bollywood presentation. This is the story of two boys who grew up together as master and servant. The master could be cruel and harsh to the servant but the servant always took everything in his stride even when things got out of hand, so to speak. The servant's loyalty goes beyond the believable and right into the incredulous.

There are certain redeeming passages in the book and some insights into human psychology but they are few and far between.

Among quality English language fiction, this novel doesn't stand a chance but gains some respect if one is compassionate enough to put it in the perspective that it was penned by someone who comes from a country where there is hardly any work being done on furthering what little literary tradition the country had in the first place.

Though written originally in English, it reads like a translation. Some readers might argue that this distinction in language is what makes the novel stand out from the millions of others written by native English speakers but then it does feel at times that the author is trying very hard to write fluent, flowery prose.

In the end, the Afghani words grate on the readers' ears and fail to evoke the Afghani atmosphere which the author obviously attempted.

I think this novel could be divided into three distinct parts: the first part deals with the growing up years of the two boys in Afghanistan; the second is about the protagonist's life in the U.S.; and the third sees him returning back to his country to see his friend and uncle who is terminally ill.

For me, the third part was the most effective. The author did manage to evoke Afghanistan as a war-torn country with little or no hope in people's hearts.

In the end, everything is wrapped up a bit too neatly. And everyone got his due with utmost justice. [spoilers removed - bb]

Having said all that, at the very least, the novel was an easy, quick read.

My suggestion: Mr. Hosseini should read a lot more American fiction.