In California, Baba works at a gas station to put his son through school on weekends he sells secondhand goods at swap meets. Yet he is generous and tolerant enough to respect his son's artistic yearnings and to treat the lowly Hassan with great kindness, even arranging for an operation to mend the child's harelip.Īs civil war begins to ravage the country, the teenage Amir and his father must flee for their lives. He loves nothing better than watching the Afghan national pastime, buzkashi, in which galloping horsemen bloody one another as they compete to spear the carcass of a goat. Amir's father, or Baba, personifies all that is reckless, courageous and arrogant in his dominant Pashtun tribe. Hosseini's depiction of pre-revolutionary Afghanistan is rich in warmth and humor but also tense with the friction between the nation's different ethnic groups. Amir's failure to defend his friend will haunt him for the rest of his life. Then, during a kite-flying tournament that should be the triumph of Amir's young life, Hassan is brutalized by some upper-class teenagers. Hassan protects the sensitive Amir from sadistic neighborhood bullies in turn, Amir fascinates Hassan by reading him heroic Afghan folk tales. Yet Hassan bears Amir no resentment and is, in fact, a loyal companion to the lonely boy, whose mother is dead and whose father, a rich businessman, is often preoccupied. The fragility of this relationship, symbolized by the kites the boys fly together, is tested as they watch their old way of life disappear.Īmir is served breakfast every morning by Hassan then he is driven to school in the gleaming family Mustang while his friend stays home to clean the house. A more personal plot, arising from Amir's close friendship with Hassan, the son of his father's servant, turns out to be the thread that ties the book together. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and its invasion by Russian forces.īut political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in ''The Kite Runner,'' are only a part of this story. And to its critics that seem to believe that rape is not a reality and “The Kite Runner” is too pessimistic and unrealistic, please, try to tell Afghani that they had not suffered as much as it seems and see if they agree.Īnd to future readers of this book, grab a tissue box and don’t get too comfortable because Hosseini will drag you into the dusty streets of Kabul faster than you’ll imagine.THIS powerful first novel, by an Afghan physician now living in California, tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. As the most tear-jerking book I’ve ever read, this only made it all the more worthwhile to read. This book is the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. As their story continues, it becomes one of fierce love and hatred, which serve as a literary backdrop of the violence and triumph within Hosseini’s country. They’ve grown up together and despite Hassan being the ethnic minority of the country and servant of the family, the boys grow as brothers. Set in the late 20 th century in revolutionary Afghanistan, Amir and Hassan are best friends. Reading this not only urged me to go beyond the story line and live through the eyes of the character himself, but it also forced me to question my own values today and my perspective current social issues. But built on a base of a raw Afghani society in Kabul, it rose to a steady crescendo far beyond this unique setting. But for the sake of my reading comprehension score on the ACT, I chose to read it.Īdmittedly, it was a slow beginning but I’m inclined to believe that this was accompanied by my low expectations of this book. ![]() Much like the rest of its companions, I expected “The Kite Runner” to be a slow, boring book of age-old English with an emphasis on the socio-economic structure of white prestige. I came across “ The Kite Runner” on one of those stereotypical summer reading lists, bordered by the classics: Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte. ![]() ![]() I’m telling you right now: If you appreciate the reality of humanity, existence, and society, “The Kite Runner” is a complex blend of all three that build a surreal sculpture of betrayal, friendship and redemption. ![]() “ The Kite Runner’ s” cover is decorated with a pattern of awards for a reason Khaled Hosseini’s work is truly and unarguably a literary masterpiece. As cheesy as it sounds, no amount of words can describe its pure and sophisticated beauty. In writing this review, I already feel that I have done this book no justice.
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