THE KITE RUNNER: A BOOK REVIEW.

"For you, a thousand times over."

The Kite Runner is a debutant book of Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-America writer.

I am pretty sure that you have heard about this book because it is a widely appreciated book. Hosseini vividly tells a tale of courage, redemption, love. family and friendship through the protagonist Amir.

"Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end....crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis.(nomads)."

The Kite Runner is a heartbreaking and an unforgettable story of the unusual friendship of Amir and the son of his father's servant, Hassan. This novel is set in the country of Afghanistan which was on the verge of being destroyed because of war and Taliban. Even though we haven't been to Afghanistan but the author's vivid explanation of the country through the protagonist Amir, will create a mental image of life in Kabul in the 1970sThough the present condition of the country is quite deplorable.

"The desert weed lines on, but the flower of spring blooms and wilts."

Through the course of the story we discover that Amir belongs to the wealthy and influential section of the Afghan society, whereas Hassan belongs to the unpriviledged and oppressed section called Hazaras, and they were ill-treated in Afghan society.

"Blood is a powerful thing."

Hassan eventhough being the son of the servant , was much welcomed in Amir's family and sometimes he used to feel jealous of him as his father used to love Hassan as his own child. And in the later part of the story we get to know that Hassan was actually the illegitimate son of Amir's father and that nobody knew it until Amir gets to know that from his father's friend Rahim in the later course of the story. Amir could not believe this because he knew that his father completely despises anyone who tells nothing but lie.

"When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness."

In the early course of the story , a kite running ceremony takes place and it is regarded as an auspicious ceremony in the Afghan society. Amir believes that if he can catch the last falling kite then he will be able to win his father's love. As during his childhood days he didn't share a good bond with his father .And that's how the novel gets it name.

"The problem, of course, was that (he) saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You cant love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little."

Amir gets so blinded in winning his father's affection that he betrays his only friend Hassan, whom he loved so deeply. And ultimately Hassan and his after leave at night without informing anyone.

"I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany but with pain gathering its things, packing, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night."

Hosseini also discusses about how Taliban takes over the country and transcends it from scenic to deplorable. When things get really ugly, Amir and his father fled to America to start a new life. Amir quite likes America but his father completely loathes it. Amir after completely his education become a successful writer and he even falls in love with an Afghani girl called Soraya and gets married to her. After few years of marriage he gets to know that Soraya cannot become a mother because of certain medical problems. But still he was content with his life and somewhere he still held himself responsible for whatever happened with Hassan on the evening of 1975.

"There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered whether i deserved any of it."

Later he receives a letter from his uncle as well as his guide Rahim from Pakistan and seeing this as an opportunity of his redemption , he visits Pakistan and there he gets to know that Hassan has been executed by the Taliban and that his son , Sohrab is still stuck in Afghanistan and he needs to be rescued.

"There is a way to be good again..."

Amir even after knnowwing that it was going to be dangerous, still visits Afghanistan and somehow succeeds in rescuing Sohrab. Amir knew that Sohrab was an orphan, so he adopts him and takes him away to America with himself. By doing that he felt he had redeemed for the injustice that Hassan had to bear because of him a long time back.

"Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird's flight. But I'll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake meeting."

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is indeed a very special book to me, as it is the first book of Hosseini that I'd read and completely fell in love with his work. This novel portrays the elements of love, friendship, family, Afghani culture and tradition, betrayal and redemption quite beautifully. According to me and a lot of people across the globe, you should definitely give this book a read because it surely deserves your time.

STAY BOOKED FOR MORE!!

If you want to buy the book. Please click on the link below.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/1408850257/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=3638&creative=24630&creativeASIN=1408850257&linkCode=as2&tag=ishita076-21&linkId=003d7d0eeab1e22ec44d0c399bdac516