The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, 2007) is quite frankly one of the best novels I have ever had the pleasure to read. In essence, The Kite Runner is about the friendship between two young boys , Amir and Hassan, in Afghanistan. But the novel runs much deeper than that.
The novel begins in the 1970s and ends at present time, following the boys through childhood, adolescence and adult hood. One of the most amazing aspects of this novel is how Amir and Hassan’s friendship parallels with the political and economic turmoil Afhanistan endures during the 20 plus year span of this novel.
Amir’s father is a wealthy man in the city and somewhat famous for his investment in an orphange, while Hasaan’s father is a servant; in fact, he serves Amir’s family. Therefore, Amir and Hasaan’s friendship is somewhat taboo. Other Afghans, especially the wealthy families, find their relationship ridculous. Hasaan unwavers in his loyalty to Amir and his family. So much so, that he is victim to sexual assault all to protect Amir. Although Amir is aware of the situation; he can not find the courage to tell anyone. This guilt eats away at him for years; it even forces him to frame Hassan, thus resulting in Hassan and his father moving out of the house. Amir never sees them again, until he receives a phone call from an old family friend, begging him to come home, back to Afghanistan. Amir had been living in San Francisco with his wife, pursuing a career in writing. Although hesitant to return home; he decides he must. Once there he discovers that Hasaan has been killed by the Taliban and has left a son behind. He decides he must find this boy and bring him home to America. While back in Afghanistan, Amir is disgusted at what Afghanistan has become and is determined to fulfill his mission out of the loyalty he owed Hassan.
Hosseini writes disturbing and emotionally heavy scenes which left me completey speechless and spellbound. The Kite Runner is one of those novels that haunts you after you put it down. Several times when I was reading this book out in public, a stranger approached me to discuss it. And I think that is the best compliment an author can receive–the absolute need to dialogue about the novel they created.
