Book: The Kite Runner
By: Khaled Hosseini
Category: Fiction
An Afghan’s story
The Kite Runner is the story of an Afghan coming to terms with his past. Amir and Hassan are friends and it his Amir who narrates the story to us, by unfolds the story by telling us about him and his childhood. Amir and Hassan are both motherless kids who live in the same house. Amir lives in Kabul with his Baba, a rich businessman, Baba’s servant Ali and his son Hassan. Amir and Hassan both born around the same time come of age during the last peaceful days of monarchy. Hassan is a loyal friend who occasionally rescues Amir from neighbourhood rowdies.
Amir, inspite, of his regard for their friendship is cruel to his beloved friend Hassan, who in the eyes of Amir gets more of his Baba’s attention. Which is one among a number of Hassan’s trait that gets to Amir, and he at every chance pulls prank at him. In return Hassan’s silent sacrificial love and generosity brings lump to the throat.
Eventually, Amir fails to help is friend for the same rowdies Hassan had rescue him from, on the famous kite-flying contest day. But the guilt of having turned his back on loyal friend tortures him for the rest of his life.
The story moves forward when Amir and his Baba flee the country after the Russian invasion. Even in America Amir is haunted by his guilt.
Here, far away from home in a foreign land father and son finally bond. The second part of the book consists of Amir coming of age, falling in love, starting his own family. Starting a new life, establishing his career all the under the guilt of his past.
The novel takes another turn when Amir is called back by an old acquaintance to help Hassan and his family. Where, Amir experiences tyranny of the Taliban. He masterly describes the haunting images he witness’s in his beloved country: a man, an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in the market. Former professor turned beggar. The sadness he feels when seeing the tattered state his beloved beautiful country has turned into, for quarrel over power. Sentences like there are children in Kabul but no childhood touches the reader’s heart.
In the final part Amir the protagonist finally breaks off his shell and tries to deal with his past demons and tries to return the favour’s he owes to his Hazzara friend Hassan.
Khaled Hosseini has beautifully portrayed the relation between the Kite flyer, Amir and his harelip Kite Runner friend, Hassan. Hosseini’s story deals with conscience and coincidence, which are in abundant in the novel. And he comes out with flying colours in dealing with such sensitive issues. Hosseini’s merit lies in the fact that he has chosen his characters well and also that his characters are full of life make it easier for him to take rather risky twists and turns in the story. His explicit explanation of every detail stretches beyond tolerance at times. But fortunately he has been able to cut short on these parts as well. Hosseini’s excellent handling of such a sensitive subject, that too in his first attempt at writing overshadows other minor fault in the novel. Khaled Hosseini deserves acknowledgment for being the first Afghan writer to have written about his country in English for the rest of the world to read.
– Pratichya Dulal
