The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

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“For you a thousand times over!”

The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini’s first novel, published in 2003, a historical masterpiece where he wrote Afghanistan as vivid as how you would watch a movie. A moving story of family, friendship, betrayal and redemption.

The story is narrated by Amir, who lived in America and goes back to his home country, Afghanistan, where his childhood started with Hassan, a Hazara. Through his story we travel through time in Afghanistan before and after the war. 

Khaled Hosseini did a great job in writing this book. It truly is a masterpiece that is beyond words. He has given us a very vivid picture of Afghanistan, from its beauty, to its aftermath during the Taliban’s reign. He wrote it in a way he would want you to picture it in your head as if you were being taken to the past. It’s written in a fast paced manner that you wouldn’t want to put the book down. You won’t even notice you're almost halfway. The characters were also written very realistically, that they reflected real people. Some words might be confusing at first, but when you get the hang of it you won’t even mind. It’s very comprehensible and a definite page turner.

The hierarchy in the society is very well described in the book, that still exists in the present. The rich, the middle class, the underpri-vileged. Even discrimination can be felt through the book and will also hit you really hard. It will make you angry that you can’t help but resign to the fact that even now, it exists and no matter how hard people fight for equality, it will all fall into an illusion. An endless dream.

This story is literally a roller coaster of emotions. From the early chapters to the last one. You will have this feeling of being torn between getting mad at Amir and sympathizing with his feelings as a young troubled boy. The plot twists are well written in a way that he does not give away too much for you to predict of what happens next. Rather, he takes your mind off of it to just keep on reading. Until that very moment, when something is revealed, you get surprised because you never really expected it. Do I even make sense? What I really mean is its unpredictable, I was just describing how it actually felt while reading haha.

I was never a fan of historical fictions until Memoirs of a Geisha, and after that I never had the chance to read another one. When I saw a friend back in college tearing up while reading The Kite Runner, I knew I had to read it, but did not have the slightest idea what it was all about. So I borrowed the book from a friend, and as you can see, it took me 6 years to finally man up (aside from the fact I was adulting), and read it. And boy is that worth it. Very worth it. And I never really expected to love another historical fiction drama.

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This book is truly devastating and I’m not even exaggerating. After ATBP no other book has made me cry harder than this. But then The Kite Runner happened. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry all over again. I would really love to reread it even if it’s very heartbreaking. It made me realize how privileged I am even if I’m not rich. It showed how the wars and poverty could give no choice to its countrymen. You could really see the unfairness and cruelty very vividly. It’s like Hosseini opened my eyes even more through this gem. And I am beyond thankful to have manned up and read it after all these years. It’s a book that would really get you talking about while feeling devastated. Something that would make you hung up, bawling your eyes out, do nothing and stare into space, reliving the book again and again. It’s the book that’s hard to forget.

This is definitely more than a 5-star rating. That’s how good it is. Even if you’re not into historical drama, I would highly suggest you read it still. I bet my books on it haha. Like I said, you get to imagine the story vividly even after reading, from chapter one to end. The whole book itself will touch you like no other.

“There is a way to be good again.”

P.S. The Kite Runner has a 2007 film adaptation, and I haven’t even watched it yet. And I think watching would make me bawl out again. Let’s just see how it goes.

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Writer,

Thin Girl