Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is one of the best-written books I have read…

Even in its simple style the book is immensely powerful and is able to arouse a Kaleidoscope of Emotions...

It took me back to my childhood … when my mother would tell me stories about Sikhism…called Sakhis… the narrative style of this book was like that…simple but so engrossing that you just do not want to put the book down.

The author has used the style of the Russian Authors – while telling the story of Amir and Hassan, it looks at the history of Afghanistan as it moves from its final days of the monarchy, to the Soviet invasion and then the atrocities of the Taliban.

Set in Afghanistan it starts with the childhood of Amir, a small boy from a rich well to do family...who has all the worldly things he could ask for, except his fathers love. He thinks that his father hates him because his mother died during child birth. The father-son relationship is handled in a brilliant way.
The way the author describes his feelings you can almost feel the desperation on Amir’s part to prove himself to his father…

Hassan is Amir’s servant’s son– a Hazara (low caste), illiterate boy…with whom Amir has developed a close, unlikely friendship…Hassan literally worships Amir but Amir often makes fun of Hassan’s naivety and innocence …
At the annual kite flying competition, while Hassan again proves his loyalty…he could have given the kite to the bullies but does not because according to him it rightfully belongs to his Amir Agha. But Amir fails him as he hides and watches in fear as his friend is beaten and sexually abused by the bullies…

Amir goes on a guilt trip after that and avoids Hassan. This part of the book is heartbreaking. One cant help being moved by Hassan’s plight as the young child cannot understand what happened to his dear friend, why does he avoid him all the time, why don’t they spend all the time together as before, why his Amir Agha does not read stories to him…

But at the same time one feels bad for Amir. He was after all a child and its OK if he got scared and did not stand up for his friend…but the guilt and shame he feels is really touching…

This guilt sets the pace for the rest of the book.

Many years later Amir gets a chance to overcome his weaknesses. He returns from USA during the Taliban rule to atone for his sins to Hassan and save Hassan’s son Sohrab.

Sohrab’s character – again well sketched. The author is able to bring out his terror, his inability to trust anyone very nicely. A child’s mind… slowly seems to forget the past and learns to trust. But soon we realize how even a small slip can destroy everything that may have taken days, weeks …maybe even months to develop…and therafter how difficult it is to gain that trust again.

One line in the book that haunts me "How a child deals with terror – they just sleep it off…" and then I can just visualize Sohrab crawling into his bed and curling off to sleep…

The end is beautiful…as Amir repeats to Sohrab what Hassan said to many years back – "For you, a thousand times over"…

Overall an unforgettable book.