The Kite Runner
A book review by Charli Horchner. ⚠ Small Spoiler Warning ⚠
For March, Page Us read Khaled Hosseini’s NYT bestseller novel The Kite Runner (2003), a narrative following the entwined lives of two young Afghan boys, Amir and Hassan The novel traces Amir’s journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring his unsteady relationship with his father and his constant desire for paternalistic affection, his flawed morality and selfishness that leads to a horrific betrayal of his best friend, and lastly, when his conscience still weighs him down after decades of sweeping stuff under the rug, a shot at redemption –“ a way to be good again”
During our *quaint* meeting at Holy Egg Southport, there were some shared perspectives about the Kite Runner:
Whilst the prose is beautiful and easily digestible, it is definitely detectable that The Kite Runner is a debut novel, often relying on clichés that are perhaps acceptable only because of the unique setting & storyline
The intricacies of Hassan and Amir’s relationship was a real gem of the novel Layers of cultural, economic, religious barriers all played into their bond, yet the love that persisted despite the betrayal was something to behold indeed.
A few of the plot points bordered on feeling forced for the sake of developing a metaphor How convenient that the Talib with black sunglasses happens to be Assef? Or Amir’s debacle around Sohrab’s suicide attempt seeming more like a cheap emotional appeal. Would the story appear more authentic if Hosseini didn’t try to tie all the bows together?
We all appreciated the unique insight into Afghan culture under the influence of the Taliban in the early 2000s Hosseini used his own experience of immigrating from Afghanistan to the US and the feeling of being foreign upon return - this was another stand out moment of authenticity in the novel.
Though, the points of contention that also arose are just as interesting
Is Amir truly an immoral character? Considering he was only twelve when he witnessed Hassan’s trauma, it can’t be expected for his mind to process or handle what happened Could it be said that his actions, although horrific, were a natural survival mechanism for his own sake? What can be considered redemption? Can some things from the past never be fully settled?
Ultimately, despite being overly cliched, calculated, and somewhat artificial, The Kite Runner still succeeds in being a page turner that – if anything – offers hope for the future, for Afghan culture, and for the enduring power of compassion and morality.
