This novel fascinated me. It’s a great example of the power of a good story.I enjoyed the rich portrait of Afghani culture, both at home and in exile in the US. In The Book, Hoseini gives us an interesting look into the history of Afghanistan from the times of the monarchy to the occupation by the Taliban. The first hand accounts of Afghanistan’s both rich and divisive culture and history and its subsequent destruction is, in my eyes, the most compelling part of the book, and the part that makes the story worth reading.
Kite Runner is a beautifully written story of a childhood friends: Hassan, real "Real Man", whom we hardly understand in the context of modern materialistic and competitive world and his friend Amir, who is spiritually struggling to become a "Real Man". Different circumstances test moral values of two friends. Any action of Hassan makes Amir see his own moral flaws clearer and he feels guilty in front of Hassan.
The strongest and most memorable part of the book is the character of the narrator’s father, Baba. He’s a rich, stubborn, secular Afghani who swigs whiskey and makes his own rules. His strengths and flaws propel the entire acr of the story and dominate the narrator’s life. What a complex and vivid force!
PLOT
In The Kite Runner, Amir and Hassan grow up together in Afghanistan like brothers, although they couldn’t be more different. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman, a Sunni Muslim, a Pashtun, and he’s educated and reads voraciously. Hassan’s father is a servant to Amir’s father, and Hassan is a Sh’ia Muslim, a Hazara, he’s illiterate, and he has a harelip. But neither boy has a mother and they spend their boyhoods roaming the streets of Kabul together. Amir, though, continually uses his superior position to taunt or abuse Hassan, and one day hides in fear as Hassan is beaten mercilessly by bullies. The Soviet invasion of Aghanistan sends Amir’s family to the United States, but he returns there as an adult during the Taliban rule to atone for his sins to Hassan.
The Kite Runner received the South African Boeke Prize in 2004. It was the first 2005 best seller in the United States, according to Nielsen BookScan.[9] It was also voted the Reading Group Book of the Year for 2006 and 2007 and headed a list of 60 titles submitted by entrants to the Penguin/Orange Reading Group prize(UK).