Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

Hosseini has demonstrated an ability which all writers should aspire to do in their work and that is to have the ability to show that fiction can be more than just fiction. This is a truly heart-breaking, unforgettable story which has stayed with me ever since I read it. This is a story of an unlikely friendship between Amir, a wealthy young boy and Hassan, the son of his family’s servant. These boys are expert kite flyers, and they train for the local kite fighting tournament which they believe is going to be hard to win. Despite the intense background of Afghanistan over the course of 30 years, the novel attempts to show the beauty of friendship, no matter what walk of life you are from, despite being set in a country in the process of being destroyed.

This is a moving text which I find myself re-reading every now and again.

This story is fast paced and allowed me to imagine how awful and frightening growing up in a conflict-stricken world would be. The Kite Runner touches on the meaning of sacrifice and whatever you sacrifice will stay with you spiritually no matter how big or small it is. In war, sacrifices have to be made in order to stay safe or to survive. Young Amir commits a great betrayal towards his friend Hassan which haunts him for the rest of his life. When Amir and his father are forced to flee to America to escape the war, the novel becomes a tale of redemption, a journey for Amir to right the wrongs he committed years ago.

I love the way Hosseini writes as he creates a fictional tale which could in fact be based of a true story since the novel is written beautifully and so well. Not only is the story constructed impeccably it also explores deeper feeling, close to within ourselves. Amir himself becomes a writer and reflects on his own experiences in his work as if his whole life is truly fictional (which in Hosseini’s novel it is).

Amir returns to Afghanistan and attempts to make things right and set things back to order. The final chapter of the book could be interpreted in different ways but I believe Hosseini is attempting to offer a small piece of hope for the characters futures but also perhaps Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner is an amazing book and I recommend it with the greatest praise.