Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Kite Runner

The book, The Kite Runner, is written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini authored of a few other works (A ThousandSplendid Suns, And The Mountains Echoed, among others) that I’m not necessarily familiar with. The Kite Runner follows the lives of two boys originating from Afghanistan and the troubles they encounter. An overarching theme lies within; intolerable human behavior and its hardly futile consequences: the very definition of life itself as we’ve unfortunately come to know it.

The Afghanistan people are divided up into two categories, determined simply by the shape of their nose: one is a slave, one is a slave owner. The specific occurrence of slave vs. slave owner evident in the book is Hassan and Amir, respectively. The book then goes on to describe a tragedy that scars Amir for life, and in turn, attempts to drive everything, including Hassan (who also happens to be his best friend), away. Later in Amir’s life, now husband of Farzana and citizen of America, a situation back at Afghanistan is brought to his attention. This prompts his return to both country and struggles associated with his past. Horrified by the news given to him by Rahim Khan, friend of his now deceased father, Amir attempts to free a child, Sohrab, from the Taliban.


Reading this book is not recommended as it is explicatory in both content and mood. It gives the reader a sort of disgusted mood throughout the entire story and one is unable to determine whether or not the protagonist is in fact a protagonist. While quality of the writing is redeeming, imagery presented is not comforting in any way shape or form.


Book Review by Talen F.

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