The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel filled with
suspense and complex characters, narrarated by an Amir, an Afghan
man, whose voice you can hear and picture telling you the story.
Amir now living in San Francisco, thinks about his past living in
Afghanistan with his boyhood friend he had betrayed. As a young
child living in Kabul he was the child of a merchant, while his
best friend Hassan was an ethnic minority who works as a servant
with his father at Amir's house. Although Hassan defends Amir from
a bully named Assef, on the occasion that Amir sees Assef sexually
assaulting Hassan he is unable to find the courage to protect him.
Later, he accuses Hassan of theft forcing Baba, Amirs dad, to fire
Hassan and his father from their houehold. Both Baba and Amir
immgirate to the United States of Amrica when the Soviets invade
Afghanistan, and they face poverty. Baba begins to develop lung
cancer, but luckily lives long enough to see his son get wed to
Soraya, the daughter of two other Afghan immigrants. After getting
a degree in community college, Amir ends up a successful author.
All is well until him and his wife come to learn that they are
unable to have children. It's fifteen years after Amir got married
to Soraya, and now the present. He gets a call from Afghanistan
from a person by the name of Rahim Khan, who tells Amir that Hassan
had been Amirs half brother. Tragically, Hassan and his wife were
killed by the Taliban, but their son Sohrab was still alive, and
needed someone to look after them. Amir uses this as an opportunity
to redeem himself. Amir finds Sohrab in an orphange where children
are preyed upon by the Taliban who use the children for sex. At
this point Sohrab is badly traumatized and attempts to suicide.
Amir brings him back to San Francisco and do their best to heal him
from his emotional wounds. After many years, Amir discovers a way
to connect with him - flying kites, the same way him and Hassan had
connected in their younger days.
This page turning novel provokes you to think about life's most
interesting and important things such as friendship, good and evil,
survival and redemption. The novel is an excellent method of
learning about Afghan history and culture. Afghan's terrible
history was always softened because it was told through the eyes of
a child. There are vivid descriptions of certain events throughout
the novel, where as some events are not spoken about in detail. The
lack of detail allows the reader to run with their imagination and
think deeply of how things could be happening, and in fact allowing
us to have a more clear mind image of what was happening. On
another note, the novel was filled with clichés. However, overall I
enjoyed the book. I think most people would. Although the novel is
filled with uncertain twists and turns, it ends in a high note.
Though the novel is filled with betrayals, lies, losses,
discriminations, and thieves it reassures the idea that everyone is
capable of having a happily ever after.
The book is exceptional, especially seeing how it is the authors
first novel, and I recommend this book for young teen readers and
adults. It's a good book to read among friends, for it provokes
great discussion and thoughts to exchange afterwards.
- Javana Thayaparan