The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan-American author, published his first book, The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books released it in 2003. Khaled Hosseini is a UNHCR goodwill ambassador and a former physician. His subsequent novels all had an Afghan protagonist and at least some of the action took place in Afghanistan; "The Kite Runner" was a literary and commercial success. More than 70 countries have published and sold more than 40 million copies of his books, including The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed. 

The Kite Runner was first released in English and later appeared in 42 different languages in 38 different nations. Literary realism, drama, classic literature, coming-of-age stories, and historical fiction are the book's main themes.

Because its themes of friendship, betrayal, guilt, redemption and the uneasy love between fathers and sons are universal, and not specifically Afghan, the book has been able to reach across cultural, racial, religious and gender gaps to resonate with readers of varying backgrounds.

— Khaled Hosseini, 2005

The Kite Runner can be broken down into three main parts: Amir's early years in Kabul, his and Baba's years in Fremont, California, and, finally, Amir's return to Kabul. The plot features a number of betrayals and offers the chance for redemption, though it's far from guaranteed.

The story takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the Soviet invasion of that country in 1978, and it describes life there as it is being torn apart and destroyed. It discusses the severity of rape and violence, the influence of education, the cost of betrayal and the fight for atonement, as well as the influence that fathers have over their sons.

Amir, the book's main character and narrator, is an affluent Afghan youngster who grows up in Kabul with a sense of entitlement. Hassan is a Hazara youngster with a cleft lip, a sign of his low social position, and was Amir's devoted childhood playmate, best friend, unidentified half-brother, and Baba's servant. Hassan is a gifted kite runner and has a high IQ, but due to his low social standing as a member of the Hazara ethnic group, he is uneducated and devalued in Afghan culture. After Hassan is sexually assaulted, the narrative centres on Amir, who is motivated by his remorse, his personal development (as he and Baba travel to the U.S.), and his search for a method to atone for his actions. His character gradually develops throughout the book, going from a selfish child to an altruistic adult.

Hasan experiences bigotry, rape, oppression, and murder; despite this, he always demonstrates loyalty, forgiveness, and good nature, especially toward Amir.

The growth of Amir, Baba, and even Sohrab's characters is significantly influenced by Hassan, despite the fact that he is absent for the vast part of the book.

“Time can be a greedy thing-sometimes it steals all the details for itself.”

― Pg. 214.

I was completely overwhelmed by the Amir and Hasan narrative. Through his masterful writing, Khaled Hosseini elegantly and passionately illustrates the ideas of the book.

Baba strives to love Amir despite the fact that they don't have much in common, while Amir struggles to win over his father for affection throughout the story. In Amir's journey for redemption, the father-son bond plays a crucial role in his character development. There are ups and downs in any parent-child relationship, and The Kite Runner does a good job of capturing the bumpy path to mutual respect and adoration.

Amir and Hassan, Baba and Ali, and Amir and Sohrab are some of the connections that Khaled Hosseini uses to illustrate how detrimental guilt can be to a person's life. The guilt that Amir experiences significantly eclipses that of the other characters in the book, though Baba's remorse isn't far behind because of how similar his search for atonement for his wrongdoings is to Amir's. After making regrettable choices throughout his youth, Amir learns the effects of guilt.

“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. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”

―Pg. 1.

Beginning with his birth, he felt bad about many things. Even though it was beyond his control, Amir began to feel bad about murdering his mother as she was giving birth. As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that Amir's remorse stems from the decisions he made that caused his relationship with Hassan to end. The story's use of guilt serves to demonstrate how frequently we all make errors.

The Kite Runner is replete with notions of forgiveness. Hassan shows that he is forgiving of Amir's treachery via his acts, although Amir needs to spend practically the entire novel learning about the nature of forgiveness. Rahim Khan offers the most moving commentary on the nature of forgiveness.

While clearly stating “God would forgive,” he asks Amir to pardon him for keeping Baba's identity a secret. Rahim Khan urged Amir to believe in God's ability to pardon all sins because he is sure that He will. Rahim Khan is aware that while humans have a difficult time forgiving, God is quick to pardon those who pray for it. So, the only way total forgiveness can take place is when one forgives oneself, and that can only happen when one has made a sincere effort to make up for the faults they have committed. Amir's love for Hassan is mostly selfish, but Hassan's love for Amir is unconditional. The two relationships, therefore, show the essence of brotherly love, which contains jealousy and insecurity, even if the participants are unaware of this.

“When you kill a man, you steal a life," Baba said. "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.”

― Pg. 18. 

The Kite Runner powerfully illustrates how trying to emigrate is the beginning of the hardship of the immigrant experience. Baba and Amir are two of many Afghans who make an effort to flee while it is still dark, uncertain of their future route and taking calculated risks. It goes without saying that some immigrants pass away before they ever get to their new homes. The challenges of adjusting to life in a new nation aren't the only challenges faced by immigrants; they also need to cope with how people who stayed behind see them. When he gets back to Afghanistan, Amir understands this.

There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.

― Pg. 318.

The Kite Runner is a stirring book that has quickly established itself as a classic. It is an unforgettable inspirational tale of family, love, salvation, and friendship set against the tragic backdrop of Afghanistan's recent thirty-year history.

The Kite Runner was made into a movie four years after it was published. The film, which was directed by Marc Forster, garnered multiple accolades and was nominated for the 2008 Critics' Choice, BAFTA, and Academy Awards.

In this book, Hosseini clearly enjoys tugging at readers' emotions. Strangely, Hosseini didn't name his book after his primary character. (Even though Amir serves as the protagonist and narrates most of the book.) Why did Hosseini choose to focus the story around Hassan, a kite runner? One explanation may be that Hassan haunts Amir and has been on Amir's mind in some capacity for the majority of his existence. Amir does turn into a kite runner by the book's conclusion, which is also important to note.

This book requires your complete focus; a novel that you can't put down.