The Kite Runner is written by Khaled Hosseini. This book is first published by Riverhead Books on May 29 in 2003 in the United States and it has 324 pages. The writer Khaled Hosseini is an American novelist and physician of Afghan origin. He has lived in the United States since he was fifteen years old and is now an American citizen. He has written 3 books among which the most popular one is his debut novel----the Kite Runner. It became a bestseller after being printed in paperback and was popularized in book clubs. It was a number one New York Times bestseller for over two years, with over seven million copies sold in the United States. A number of adaptations were created following publication, including a 2007 film of the same name, several stage performances, and a graphic novel. I’m quite interested in the country Afghanistan and I’d like to know something about it through this novel.
This is a story about war, loyalty, forgiveness, friendship, redemption, sacrifice, race, class, fear and the relationships between father and son. In the 70's in Afghanistan, the Pushtun boy Amir and the Hazara boy Hassan, who is his loyal friend and son of their Hazara servant Ali, are raised together in Amir's father house, playing and kitting on the streets of a peaceful Kabul. Living in a single-parent home, Amir yearns for his father’s attention and gets jealous of Hassan when his father bestows favors on Hassan, favors like arranging cosmetic surgery for his harelip. Amir’s desire for his father’s affection also stems from his father’s indifference toward his son’s interest in books. In return, Amir feels a great respect for his father's best friend Rahim Khan, who supports his intention to become a writer. After Amir winning a competition of kitting, Hassan runs to bring a kite to Amir, but he is beaten and raped by the brutal Assef in an empty street. And Amir was too scared and flabby to do anything. This incident had a great impact on Amir and later he came up with an idea and drove Hassan and his father away. In 1979, Baba and Amir escape to America. There they started a new life. Later, he met the son of Hassan and tried to compensate and look after him to release his sense of guilt.
Several peculiarities contribute to the success of this book.
Firstly, the tight structure and refined way of expression give the readers great pleasure. No redundant sentences, scenes or dialogues can the readers find in this book so they will never feel bored or cumbersome. All the plots are closely related to each other so that readers are all in such a condition: reading, getting confused and getting enlightened. For example, Amir’s father getting angry suddenly is due to the shocking secret which is revealed later in the book. Secondly, the writer’s vivid description also impresses readers. All the characters are full of vigor and he also portrays the real and profound inner world of all the characters. Through reading the words, it seems that readers are all personally on the scene. We can feel what Amir and Hassan feel, like happiness, sadness, guilt and so on. What’s more, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery in Afghanistan through writer’s vivid portrayal. In addition, it is widely recognized that no literary works can be immortal without historical background. It is because the writer combines the story with the background that makes this book a great success. In this book, the writer depicts a plump and colorful country of Afghanistan and the Muslim culture. If the writer only tells the story between all the protagonists without adding the description of its background, this book will never be as popular as it is today. We see the conflicts between nations, contradictions of different religions and the blend of different cultures through the descriptions of the end of the monarchy in Afghanistan, Soviet invasion, Civil War and the antithesis of personal emotion and social system. All these elements help add the profound meaning to this book. We feel a real world in this book as well as the rhythm and changes of the time.
For me, I’m not a sensitive girl and it is never easy for me to cry. But I was absolutely moved by Hassan’s loyalty to Amir. On Amir’s birthday, Amir told his father that Hassan stole his watch and asked his father to drive them out. Though Hassan knew that Amir charged him with unwarranted reasons, he didn’t tear the mask off Amir’s face in turn he chose to bear all the things by himself. Hassan is kind and royal but there is another important social factor that can’t be ignored that is the concept of class deeply rooted in their mind. It is hard for them to get rid of it so Hassan chose to obey the reality. Why Amir decided to expel Hassan, I think he also suffered great inner battle. He is angry with his cowardice and he felt guilty that he didn’t save Hassan. And maybe he thought if he didn’t see Hassan, he will feel better and released. Finally he did so and he lost Hassan forever. We can’t blame Amir too much since he was just a child at that time, just as Hassan, he is also hogtied by class consciousness. When we are young, we can sometimes do something that is harmful to others whether intentionally or unintentionally. But I think most of them are due to our innocence and ignorance. We cannot tell right from wrong or we are easily affected by grown-ups or social mainstream. So when we grow up and one day we think back about these things, we should do something to compensate just like Amir; but if we can do nothing to repair, we should teach our children to be kind to others and think before leaping.
I like reading foreign books from which I can experience different cultures and local customs and practices. Afghanistan is such a mysterious country and through reading this book I got to know about this country, social culture and its people so it really benefits me a lot.
