The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For years, I had heard glowing reviews about The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's debut novel. Yet, I'd put off reading it, while it sat on a shelf on one of my many bookcases.

Now I wonder why I put it off for so long.

A stunning book, The Kite Runner pulls the reader into the life and experiences of Afghan immigrant Amir, who leaves his homeland with his father in the late 20th century. The book begins when Amir and his father, Baba, are still in Kabul, where his father is a well-to-do merchant. Amir's best friend, Hassan, is a Hazara boy who lives with his own alleged father on Amir's father's property. Neither boy cares that the two are from different classes, they are still friends.

At one point, Hassan, Amir's kite runner - a person who brings back one's kite during kite-flying contests - is victim to unspeakable violence, which Amir is unable to protect him from.

Years later, after Amir has grown, he goes back to Kabul to try to find redemption by righting wrongs against Hassan. In the end, he brings Hassan's son back to the U.S. with him (Hassan and his wife are dead), in the hopes of adopting his friend's son.

While the book is absolutely stunning, it is not necessarily an easy read. Several parts are difficult to read, and almost caused me to put the book aside. However, this book is truly a work of art that should be read through to the end. While the story does end with Hassan's son being rendered mute, and Amir and his wife caring for the boy, there is hope that life will slowly get better.

This is one book that definitely needs to be read and reread, as its multi-faceted layers show the reader different ways to view the world.

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