The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Book Review

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Published: 2 June 2002 - Penguin Berkley Publishing Group Riverhead Books
Format - Pages: Paperback - 371 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
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“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime."

Khaled Hosseini's #1 New York Times Bestselling Debut

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashums. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

I read this book for my Modern Literature class, and I am so glad that I took the class. I know that I eventually would have picked up this novel, but I know that it would have set on the "to-read" pile for a long time.

This story follows Amir from the time that is a boy in Afghanistan during the 60's & 70's until he is an adult in his mid-thirties. Amir is a wealthy, privileged youth, who is the son of a very well known man. Amir is very close with the son of the family servant, Ali. The two boys are practically inseparable.

Hossenini covers topic of class systems, guilt, abuse, violence, terrorism, and suicide is a way that is very real and leaves an impact that won't fade anytime soon. While this isn't a perfect novel, I think that it's pretty close. It felt a little melodramatic and preachy at times; however, it wasn't overwhelming, and I think that the melodrama made the story more memorable and lasting.

Before I finished this, I wasn't planning on reading anything else by Hossenini, but I really fell in love with his story-telling and want to read more of his work. I plan on picking up on A Thousand Splendid Suns sometime this year.