The Kite Runner Book Review

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

I picked up this book at a Goodwill not long ago and finally got to read it.  It was a good novel, and I learned a lot about life in another country and culture.

Setting - Kabul, Afghanistan, and the San Francisco area, United States

Characters - Amir, his father Baba, Hassan, and his father Ali (Ali and Hassan are servants to Baba and Amir), as well as Baba's good friend Rahim Khan.

Problem/Conflict - Baba treats Hassan more like a son than Amir, Amir resents this and is always trying to win his father's affection. Hassan and Ali are Hazara and are therefore looked down upon. An incident in the boy's youth changes their relationship as well as the outcome of the story.

Main Events - Amir and Hassan grow up in the same household as best friends.  Amir gets to go to school, Hassan cannot.

Later, Amir accuses Hassan of theft (to lighten his own guilt), which forces Hassan and Ali to leave the household and the country.

Baba and Amir sneak out of the country when tensions grow high in Afghanistan. They move to America where Amir meets and marries his wife/

Amir is asked to return to his country to make amends for something Amir did when he was just a boy/

Conclusion - Amir is able to make amends although the road is treacherous. The ending is good but not certain if that's possible.

Overall I really liked this book. I found it engaging and easy to read and the fact that the boys grow up in Afghanistan was very interesting to me. I'd give this 4 books out of 5, only because there was a little bit of violence near the end (involving an eye, which grosses me out so much!!!). Other than that, it was a great read. I can't wait to read Hosseini's other novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Probably another factor that made this book so good is that the author is actually from Afghanistan, actually lived there.  He became a citizen of the US after moving here at age 15, and is now an author and a physician. 

Enjoy your day and your latest book!