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A review by theresidentbookworm
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4.0
If I was going to pay Khaled Hosseini one compliment, just one, I would say that he is consistently successful of depicting his home country and people complexly and realistically. Afghanistan and its citizens are so often misunderstood and misrepresented by Western media and people, but books like The Kite Runner remind me and everyone else that we are not that much different than anyone else anywhere. I guess that's what I really love about Hosseini's writing: the way his stories at their core could be told anywhere.
That being said, I do admire how effectively Hosseini uses Afghanistan in his novels. It is a character in itself, and it's fascinating and heartbreaking to see Afghanistan's transformation over the span of three hundred plus pages. It might actually be the most interesting character of the novel. Amir was necessarily a good man or even a likeable character, but I think that unlikeablity is more interesting. It forces us to take a hard look at ourselves and our own weaknesses. Amir did do several things that he wasn't proud of, but don't we all? Of everyone in the situation, it is not Hassan or Baba or anyone else who is hardest on Amir. It's Amir who is still punishing himself for a moment of weakness he had as a boy.
Rahim Khan writes to Amir saying, “I know that in the end, God will forgive me. He will forgive your father, me, and you too. I hope you can do the same. Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself.” To me, this is the soul of the novel: forgiveness. Everyone in the novel has to f orgive someone, and it is an easier thing to say than to do. My one problem with the novel is the lack of forgiveness Amir finds in himself and from Sohrab. I can see why forgiveness form Sohrab is less likely, but as a reader I wanted to see more hope. Hope was what I loved about A Thousand Splendid Suns, his second novel, and what I believe makes it a superior one.
I read this for my school's book club, Sister Who Are Reading Stores, and can't wait to discuss it. Shout out to my STARS girls! Definitely recommended.
That being said, I do admire how effectively Hosseini uses Afghanistan in his novels. It is a character in itself, and it's fascinating and heartbreaking to see Afghanistan's transformation over the span of three hundred plus pages. It might actually be the most interesting character of the novel. Amir was necessarily a good man or even a likeable character, but I think that unlikeablity is more interesting. It forces us to take a hard look at ourselves and our own weaknesses. Amir did do several things that he wasn't proud of, but don't we all? Of everyone in the situation, it is not Hassan or Baba or anyone else who is hardest on Amir. It's Amir who is still punishing himself for a moment of weakness he had as a boy.
Rahim Khan writes to Amir saying, “I know that in the end, God will forgive me. He will forgive your father, me, and you too. I hope you can do the same. Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself.” To me, this is the soul of the novel: forgiveness. Everyone in the novel has to f orgive someone, and it is an easier thing to say than to do. My one problem with the novel is the lack of forgiveness Amir finds in himself and from Sohrab. I can see why forgiveness form Sohrab is less likely, but as a reader I wanted to see more hope. Hope was what I loved about A Thousand Splendid Suns, his second novel, and what I believe makes it a superior one.
I read this for my school's book club, Sister Who Are Reading Stores, and can't wait to discuss it. Shout out to my STARS girls! Definitely recommended.