The Kite Runner

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This book is a worldwide bestseller but I can't help to notice that people gave mixed reviews on it. For me, perhaps I would categorize the experience of reading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner as one of the most emotional and heartbreaking and the story might be one of the most moving to the heart, because my feelings concentrates more on the storyteller's personal story, feelings and experience. Perhaps the people who doesn't like this book is more concerned on the portrayal of war and Taliban rule in it. The inhumanity of war, the saviour that turned to oppressor themselves of the Taliban in Afghanistan, all the extremes related to the politically unstable nation of Afghanistan at that time, I cannot really comment whether the portrayal is just or unjust to the true situation. Usually I don't pick up books with war theme mainly due to the fact that I loathe its hideousness. I wasn't sure why I finally read it, but anyway, the deed has been done. And this is what I think about it.

But first, maybe a little bit of the story. In The Kite Runner, two young Afghanistan boys' life and relationship change dramatically and drastically forever when on one fateful day, something dreadful happened to one of them. Shortly after, the Russian invasion and then the Taliban rule in Afghanistan occur and lasted and thus further affecting the whole nation, making both boys, Amir and Hassan, lead their own lives separately and differently. In this book, Amir is the storyteller, and what Amir tell in the whole book is actually about Hassan. Both boys are best friends, although they are different in terms of race and therefore also in social standing, where Amir is the 'respectable' Pashtun and Hassan is only a Hazara, whose father is the servant of Amir's father and he too, is also a servant to the family.

As a boy, Amir is so insecure, and always struggling and fighting for his father's love, recognition and affection. Though he gets the best company and friendship from Hassan, and also the best provision from his father, Amir always has a feeling of being less of a son to his father and somehow disturbed by his father's kind treatment to Hassan's family. One day, something terrible happened to Hassan and it really tested Amir's courage and sense of responsibility. What Amir decided later was what I consider as the biggest mistake in his life and the story afterwards is all about how he deals with his guilt and conscience while running away from the country with his father during the political unrest. When things took a lot of different twists and turns, Amir found himself back in his old neighbourhood, with a quest for redemption, salvation and facing the evil the way it should be done many years ago.

Reading this book, one might have to deal a lot of issues concerning insecurities, emotional struggle and bravery and cringe with disgust at Amir every time he always second thoughts the noble actions that he should have done due to fear while all the time he receives the loyalty, protection and kindness by the very same people he 'betrayed'. In the end, Amir gives us readers a streak of hope, and the rest ... you might just need to read the book. I give this book a thumbs up for how it moves me and the rich and detailed descriptions by the author. "For you, a thousand times over."

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, paperback edition 2011 (original 2003)
Pages: 324 pages