By Ana Hofmann, Year 10
The novel The Kite Runner is a very touching story about a boy named Amir and his childhood friend Hassan. This novel, written by Khaled Hosseini in 2003, won the San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year Award and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years. It is quite a long book but can be finished in a few days due to its captivating plot that can quickly grab the reader’s attention, making it hard to put down.
The story takes place in Afghanistan, where a young boy named Amir forms a close friendship with Hassan, his servant’s son. Both were raised without mothers, their bond reflects their fathers, who became brothers when Amir’s grandfather adopted Ali, Hassan’s dad. Hassan’s loyalty is very strong, always putting Amir first, but Amir takes advantage of this. After kite competitions, Hassan, known as the best kite runner, always retrieves the fallen kites for Amir. The most powerful moment is when Amir witnesses Hassan endure a traumatic event but chooses not to help. Ali finds out what happened and quits his job without explanation. Years later, Amir and his father move to America to escape the war, not knowing where Ali and Hassan are. As time passes, Amir goes through significant changes, eventually visiting his father’s best friend Rahim Khan, who is on his deathbed. Rahim Khan shares devastating news and asks Amir for a favor, which is followed by Amir’s adventure to fulfill his wish.
This book is from Amir’s point of view, making the reader feel all the emotions and somehow understand why Amir does what he does. Although Amir made very wrong choices, the reader feels sympathy for him due to the detailed descriptions of what is going through his head in times when he needs to make tough decisions. It also helps the reader understand how Amir has had to adapt to different situations after moving from a small, poor country to a large and highly developed country. Amir’s point of view shows the reader that sometimes things people do might be wrong, but they are not always done with bad intentions.
Although it is not completely a true story, the author, Hosseini, used elements from his childhood such as the fact that he grew up in Afghanistan and moved to the United States as a refugee. This shows that even though the story didn’t exactly happen, there are many other cases of children suffering in war, and those who are more privileged than others may end up leaving their loved ones behind, which is what happened in The Kite Runner.
This novel truly highlights the innocence of children especially in times of war, as well as proving how important friendship is by showing Hassan’s loyalty and care towards Amir no matter what happens. It also demonstrates how important it is to make the right choices since they could affect you in the future, just like it did to Amir, a grown man who still regrets his mistakes from when he was twelve. This tragic yet inspirational story details the vibrant culture of Afghanistan before the Taliban. Even though it is devastating, it is sadly honest and speaks the truth about the power of evil.
In my opinion, this book was extremely sad, however, it is very educational. It helped me understand how devastating war is and how it affects even the most innocent and harmless people. The book portrays the impact of regret, and how it is something you will never forget no matter how much time passes. It serves as a warning for people to truly think about their actions and how they can end up living with the burden of regret which is something that can never be changed. I highly encourage this book as it helps the reader reflect on life and understand how privileged they are. It is a different yet captivating story that shows the reality of our world.
