The Kite Runner is a unique story of betrayal, guilt, violence, and the search for redemption. The author, Khaled Hosseni, creates a novel that tugs at your heart and moves you emotionally. Hosseni exposes the realistic look of life in Afghanistan. The whole story itself may not be based on real events, but it is done so well as if the author himself lived as one of the characters. With amazing sensory image, it leaves a vivid image of the characters and environment around them.
The two main characters, Amir and Hassan, have a relationship built off of trust. But when Amir lets Hassan get raped, it’s a sense of shock, terror, and disbelief. The whole novel is made of multiple unexpected events, like the rape, which powers you to keep turning page after page. There is not just one event that leaves you speechless, there are many. The book goes from family problems, political events and the invasion of Afghanistan, to moving into other countries, different styles of living, and then the ultimate event, facing the past. Hosseni does express how tough it is to live in Afghanistan, not only after the invasion of Russian soldiers in Afghanistan, but also before, during the peaceful days.
The part when the book begins to show hope from all the tough and cruel events is when Amir goes to redeem himself of the guilt he’s lived with for his whole life. This is where the novel shows more of a side filled with love and determination. It remains powerful and filled with suspense, but at the same time gives closure to what Amir did to Hassan, for both Amir and the reader. There are hard parts where you never expected things would happen, like finding out that Amir and Hassan are blood-related brothers and Hassan is killed. But they are made up by events like when Amir rescues Hassan’s son. Remember, Hosseni never sugar coats things, which can be painful and terrifying most of the time, but it gives the true and realistic perspective.
The Kite Runner is a unforgettable book to read that will leave you with life lessons and an exposed mind to how other parts of the world are like and their ways of living. This book is not for people with a weak heart, but instead for those who can face reality and the everyday problems that occur in the world.