Review of 'The Kite Runner'
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Amir is a privileged young Pashtun man living with his aloof and often distant father in Kabul. This is the story of his relationship with Hassan, a member of the ethnic Hazara group and the son of the family living in the garden who serve Amir and his father. The relationship is a complicated one but at best can be described as “friendship” but at worse “tragic”. The two boys share their childhood together including their love of “kite running” generally ignorant of the social implications of their relationship. When Amir witnesses a tragic event his feelings towards Amir are called into question and he spends much of his life thinking of his feelings regarding Hazara. His new life with his father in America does little to stop this thinking with an eventual glimmer of hope for redemption.
While I am being deliberately vague I do not want to give up the central conceit of this story which takes place in the midst of tremendous political and social upheaval involved in the eventual Afghanistan war. While this book takes place in these turbulent times it is the turbulent feelings of Amir that take centre stage.
There are occasional scenes of incredible personal violence (interestingly, not directly from the war that occurs around them) that draw in the reader to the tragic events that unfold but this is ultimately a story of redemption. It will certainly make you cry in parts but in others the very human drama will draw you in and make you feel that there may be hope yet.
A well written and incredible story.
Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”
Review Date: 2015-05-25
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 9781594480003