The Kite Runner by Khaleid Hosseini: A Book Review

The Kite Runner by Khaleid Hosseini: A Book Review

Setting: Afghanistan, America, Pakistan

Characters: Amir, Baba , Hassan, Ali, Rahim Khan

Setting:  - 1980’s –

Genre: Family, Historical

Publication date: 2003

Summary:

It tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime.

Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite Runner to be a father–son story, emphasizing the familial aspects of the narrative, an element that he continued to use in his later works.^[2] Themes of guilt and redemption feature prominently in the novel,^[3] with a pivotal scene depicting an act of sexual assault that happens against Hassan that Amir fails to prevent. The latter half of the book centers on Amir's attempts to atone for this transgression by rescuing Hassan's son two decades later. (Wikipedia)

Themes:

Father-son

Amir and his Baba

Amir had always craved for his Baba’s( father) attention and love.  He felt like his Baba was not proud of him because he was not good in soccer nor he could not stand up for himself. Amir was also jealous of Hassan ( his friend) because whatever toy his father gives him, he would also give one to him and his father would always invite Hassan when they wanted to go out. Amir wanted his father for himself.

In the long run, during their travel to Pakistan and life in America, Amir and his father became closer.  His father worked hard to provide him food and education. Note that Baba was popular, influential and well-off in Afghanistan but all these, they left so they can start anew in America , away from the war.

Baba’s last fatherly duty before he died of cancer was asking permission from the General to let Amir marry his daughter. People spoke of his greatness when he died especially how he helped those in need.

Baba and Hassan

Hassan and Ali are Hazaras. They belong to the lower class and considered as servants. 

Hassan never knew that his master was his real father. All he thought was that his father was Ali, another Hazara and that his mother left when she saw that he had cleft pallet, Hassan was the good child.  Ali was the good father.

Baba’s sin was Hassan.  

Brotherhood  and Friendship

Amir and Hassan were childhood friends; however, Amir never admitted that Hassan was his friend. They nursed from the same woman , they climbed trees together and flew kites. Because of jealousy and guilt, Amir hid his watch and some cash under Hassan’s bed. Hassan and Ali decided to move out despite Baba’s pleading for them to stay.

It is important to note that Amir did not save nor defend Hassan when he was being raped by Assef. He saw this but turned a blind eye and he carried this for a long time until Rahim Khan called him and said that it is not too late to be good again.

Amir wept and was devastated when Rahim Khan confessed that Hassan was his brother. It was too late since Hassan was shot by the Talibans. His wife was shot as  well leaving their only child, Sohrab in an orphanage.

Amir’s redemption was getting Sohrab out of Assef’ claws (he became a Taliban and kept Sohrab to satisfy his demonic urges). He was almost killed in the process but at the end, he was able to get him out of Afghanistan and adopted him.  The story ended with Amir flying kites with Sohrab in America.

Overall impression of the book

Khaleid is very skilled in describing scenes. HE speaks vividly as if you are being transported to Kabul, Pakistan and America. The way he characterizes are also haunting. 

The themes of his first book may not be as heavy as the second novel but it gives light to how our past affects our present. It lets us reflect that when you live carrying secrets and guilt,  these would haunt you for the rest of your life. 

Amir did not have the chance to ask forgiveness from Hassan but with his struggle to save Sohrab, he knew that he had somehow made peace with him , most especially his ownself. 

Favorite quotes:

11.       “When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.” -  Baba

22.    “She said, 'I'm so afraid.' And I said, 'why?,' and she said, 'Because I'm so profoundly happy, Dr. Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening.' I asked her why and she said, 'They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you.” – Amir’s mother

33.    “It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”

44.    “That same night, I wrote my first short story. It took me thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who found a magic cup and learned that if he wept into the cup, his tears turned into pearls. But even though he had always been poor, he was a happy man and rarely shed a tear. So he found ways to make himself sad so that his tears could make him rich. As the pearls piled up, so did his greed grow. The story ended with the man sitting on a mountain of pearls, knife in hand, weeping helplessly into the cup with his beloved wife's slain body in his arms.” – Amir

5. “Better to get hurt by the truth than

6. “One time, when I was very little, I climbed a tree and ate these green, sour apples. My stomach swelled and became hard like a drum, it hurt a lot. Mother said that if I'd just waited for the apples to ripen, I wouldn't have become sick. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples.”  -Sohrab

77.  “The problem, of course, was that [he] saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little.”