"There is a way to be good again." That's one of the many poignant lines from the novel, The Kite Runner. The book is written by Khaled Hosseini, who is from Afghanistan. Mr. Hosseini was born in the 60's and lived in Afghanistan until he was 12. His family fled to France when news broke out that the Russians were invading. The news soon reached them that the Russians had indeed invaded Afghanistan and war had become reality. Khaled and his family remained in France for years until they finally moved to California. Khaled was a bright kid who always loved reading, writing, and flying kites. He went on to become a doctor and eventually got married. But after nearly a decade, he grew bored of his job and started writing. That's when The Kite Runner was created. There's some background on the author. Now to the book itself.
I had heard about this book from my uncle and cousin a while ago. They raved about it. I did some research and suddenly became interested. I didn't know much about Afghanistan prior to reading this novel. I mean I knew where it was on a globe and that Al-Qaeda was prominent there. I went into this with a sense of curiosity. I wanted to know more about this country that has become unanimous in the U.S.
The book is about a boy named Amir who lives in Kabul, Afghanistan. He's a bright young boy who lives with his wealthy father. His mom had died years ago. Amir isn't much for sports - much to his father's chagrin. His father has two servants, a father and his son. They do everything for Amir and his dad. The young servant's name is Hassan. Amir and his father are Pashtuns and the servants are Hazaras, who are viewed as inferior to everyone else. Despite the mockery of others, the boys remain good friends. Kite running is THE sport in Kabul. It's very intense and involves kids from all over the area. Amir wants to win so badly for his father; he is constantly wanting to make his father proud. A tragedy ends up happening that shakes the friendship between the boys and their fathers. Amir is left guilty and ashamed. After the tragedy, the Russians invade Afghanistan. This sends Amir and his father to America. The story continues with Amir facing his past and searching to redeem himself after what had happened.
That's a brief summary of the novel. So much occurs. I wish I could tell you more, but I want you to read it for yourself. This is one of my favorite books for so many reasons. The storytelling is just amazing and keeps you engaged. It also has all the elements you want in a novel: Love, hate, friendship, betrayal, and redemption. You learn a lot about a country that may seem vague to you. It was to me at first. But now I know more about what this country was like before the Russian invasion and the rise of the Taliban. The book is hard to read sometimes because of the violence and struggles people had to endure living in this country. But once you start reading, you get lost in the story about these characters that are so diverse and so interesting that you just can't wait until the next chapter. I highly recommend it and hope you will give it a chance.
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