I have never reviewed a book before, this is my first time. If I err somewhere along the way, please forgive me. I don’t know, why but I really wanted to write a review on this book, because it is a very well written book by a debutante and second because it is not a bestseller, so not many people would have heard about it. The number of reviews written on MOUTHSHUT on this book is five (and that too inclusive of this one). So, I thought – WHY NOT GIVE IT A SHOT. So, here I am, reviewing one of the best books I have read this year. The author of this book is Mr. Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan by birth and an American by nationality. He is a Californian doctor and The Kite Runner is his first novel.
First of all, I would like to give Dr. Khaled a standing ovation for his excellent debut. Ok, u guys can sit down now. I don’t know in what genre this book belongs. It has suspense, action, drama, humor and a lot of tragedy. On one end it is a SOCIO-POLITICAL SATTIRE and on the other end it is an IRONICAL, yet INTIMATE and PROVOCATIVE. It is a superb tale of relationships, between friends, father and son, servant and master, Uncle and nephew, husband and wife and many more intricately woven relationships which although subtle in nature, tend to leave a mark on the readers’ mind. It is a story about innocence lost, betrayal, redemption and salvation. Dr. Khaled’s prose is not too fancy like some of the other writers, but his content and expression are really strong and the story is so simple that if it was any simpler, it would be a children’s novel. Now, don’t get misled, it is a very, very serious issue being dealt here. It involves the political scenarios of more than one country and the contrast shown between US and Afghanistan or Afghanistan and Pakistan is really intoxicating.
The story starts off in 1970s in Kabul. Amir, the protagonist is a 12 year old rich kid. His dad (Baba as he calls him) is one of the richest merchants in Kabul. Amir’s mother died giving birth to him and he and his Baba live alone in his Baba’s mansion. Their servant Ali stays in the Servant’s Quarters along with his son Hassan, Amir’s friend, brother and soul mate. Amir and Hassan are inseparable. Although their being so close is not taken well by the people of Kabul as Hassan is a Hazara. Hazaras are Mongolian descendants who are a bit of Chinese looking. Now Hazaras and Pashtuns are divided by a racial barrier, and any Pashtun who socializes with the Hazaras is looked down upon. But Amir’s Baba gives a damn about such racism and treats Ali and Hassan as family.
The first part of the book describes the glorious relationship between Amir and Hassan, with Hassan being portrayed as the epitome of loyalty and Amir being a normal 12 year old yearning for the love and attention of his Baba. He has an uncle Mr.Rahim Khan, who is a friend of Baba and Amir’s mentor. Rahim Khan knows about the turmoil in Amir’s mind about his Baba’s love for him and empathizes with him. His Baba admires Hassan more than him and that keeps bothering Amir. There is a traditional KITE FLYING competition in Kabul and Amir and Hassan are both good flyers, but Hassan is an exceptional kite runner (A person good in retrieving kites which are cut by other kites). Amir wants to win this competition this year to gain some respect in his Baba’s eyes. He wins the competition but something happens that day to Hassan which shatters their lives. The relationship becomes sour and Amir gets Hassan and Ali removed from their house although his Baba is unwilling to do so.
Then starts the political scene in Kabul. The entry of Shorawis and the Roussis into Afghanistan and Amir and his Baba are forced to abandon their motherland. They go to the land of DREAMS, the US. Here, they are reduced into poor Afghanis who have to struggle to make ends meet. But, his Baba does not give up and as they say in PASHTU – Zindagi Migzara (Life Goes On). He meets his lady love Soraya and gets married. But as fate may have it they find out that Soraya is unable to bear a child. Then one day after his Baba dies of cancer, he receives a call from Rahim Khan from Pakistan to come and see him.
Then the story becomes very interesting as Amir retraces his steps to Kabul seeking salvation and is assaulted by one shock after another. Khaled Hosseini springs one surprise after another at his readers and that too when they least expect it. His description of Afghanistan under the Taliban rule is really shocking. Your heart will weep for Aghanistan even if you are not an Afghan.One bad thing about the book is his narrative lacks speed sometimes and there is a lot of redundancy in his descriptions about the different people and places. As Meenakashi has written in her review, the book is a bit too dramatic at times and the pace is sluggish at times. Only the Talibs have been shown as being negative but all other characters are grey and that makes the story seem realistic. But, otherwise it is a must read. This is my first review on a book as I said but for Khaled - A THOUSAND TIMES OVER.