The Kites Are Flying

Set in the West Bank, this story has as its backdrop the tangled history and politics of the Israelis and the Palestinians. The divide is figuratively and literally represented by the wall which splits the communities. Despite this, it is a story of connection as journalist Max meets Said whose brother was killed in the violence. Said has chosen not to speak ever since, but finds expression through making kites.

Told in dual narration, part by Max and part by Said, there’s an emphasis on the human cost and the ongoing consequences of conflict. Painful at points, there is a determination to be even-handed, hopeful and humane in this self-consciously well-intentioned and slightly sentimental story. Laura Carlin’s illustrations draw on naïve-art traditions which appropriately bring to mind a childlike innocence.