REVIEW: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: April 24th, 2014

Purchase: Amazon (Paperback or Kindle)

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime.” 

Khaled Hosseini’s #1 New York Times Bestselling Debut 

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashums. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir’s choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

Once you read a novel by Khaled Hosseini it will guarantee to move you and The Kite Runner is no exception.

The story takes place in Afghanistan in the year 1975. Amir isn’t very close to his father because he isn’t what his father expects him to be. Amir doesn’t like soccer, he prefers reading. And when he is bullied he let’s Hassan fight for him. Hassan and Amir grew up together, they bonded like brothers and ever since they were young it was already evident how loyal Hassan was to Amir. But in that day in 1975 when Amir was so desperate to win the kite-fighting tournament because Amir knew it would win his way to his father’s heart and Hassan was eager to help him. But something happened to Hassan that day and that caused their strong bond to slowly crumble.

Reading The Kite Runner was like getting my heart ripped off my chest, diced and burned to ashes. It was so painful and yet so beautiful. Hosseini’s description of Afghanistan is so vivid and clear that I feel like I am in one with the characters exploring the beautiful neighborhood of Wazir Akbar Khan. Hosseini gave a face to Afghanistan to me. After reading the book my perception of Afghanistan changed, it was just like every other nation with people and their unique customs and traditions, their own religion and hidden beautiful places. It wasn’t so bad after all, at least before the wars and killings started.

“War doesn’t negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.”

Hosseini didn’t just write a story about people, he wrote a story about a country, introducing us to Islam, the different traditions of the Afghans and their way of life.

My heart will always break for Hassan. He is such a loyal friend to Amir, he’s already content with what meager things he had in life and he is full of goodness that he didn’t deserve the bad things that happened to him.

“For you, a thousand times over”

And while Amir isn’t an entirely bad person, he is a coward and it wasn’t until much later that he stood up for himself and redeemed himself. If only he knew how to fight for himself from the start, certain unfortunate circumstances would have been avoided. Still, I understand his fears and the reasons for his shortcomings and I ache for him too so I don’t entirely hate him.

“And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.”

In my opinion The Kite Runner was beautifully written, with its vivid descriptions, harrowing story and unforgettable characters. This novel will stay with me for a very long time. The tales that Hosseini creates explores the human nature and will guarantee to move even the toughest of hearts. The Kite Runner is one of my all-time favorite books and I certainly recommend this to everyone, get your Kleenex ready though.