Basic Book Summary: Amir has a lot of regrets from when he lived in Afghanistan. Later in life he has a chance to be a better person.
Warnings: There is sexual violence in this book. It isn’t graphically described but definitely mentioned. This is also just violence in general especially in regards to war.
Review
Setting
The Kite Runner primarily takes place in Afghanistan. We follow the main character, Amir, in his childhood and his relationship with Hassan, his friend and a family servant. The narrative is told in first person through Amir’s eyes. The author does a fantastic job of giving you a sense of place. Even if you have never been there before, the author does a good job with giving you descriptive scenes. This doesn’t just apply to physical settings but also to the culture of the Kabul and the people who live there.
There are scenes that take place in America after the main character and his father leave Afghanistan when Amir is still a child. These scenes aren’t as detailed but I didn’t feel they needed to be. When Amir goes back to Afghanistan, we get to see the differences that the years have made.
Characters
The story is about a type of redemption and even with that in mind, I did find Amir difficult to like in the beginning. While there is no doubt a complicated relationship between he and Hassan, what with Hassan being the son of the family servant, I found it hard to empathize with how Amir treats Hassan. He’ll treat him good one minute and then the next, he’ll treat Hassan rather poorly. Then, the main mistake Amir feels guilt about making in his life was hard to read about.
I liked Hassan’s character a lot. He was a likeable character and easy to empathize with.
One thing is for sure, the author does a good job of giving characters with unique and varying personalities. Assef, an antagonist, is a detestable character but he certainly leaves an impression.
Plot
The main plot of this book is redemption for the mistakes Amir made in his past. There are a lot of sad scenes in this book and it piles on. This isn’t really a book to read if you want fuzzy feelings on the inside. However, I do think the story is well told and while Amir, in my eyes, may not be the most sympathetic character, he does illicit feelings of wanting to see him learn and grow as a person.
Overall
To say I enjoyed this book is odd because it is a sad story. It hurt my heart to hear all the horrible things Amir and Hassan go through. However, this is definitely a worthwhile book. I would recommend it for people to read.
May you get lost in a book,
Chrissy
I read this while I was in school (I think it was 11 yrs ago… might have been 12…) and agree with most of your points although I don’t remember it clearly enough anymore. It was a great book, I remember feeling really sad and shocked at times. I think if my dad realised how what was going to be referenced he probably wouldn’t have bought 16-17 yr old me that book. But definitely a book I think everyone should read!
Yeah, it does have some pretty tough subjects in there and I was surprised by some of them but definitely a worthwhile book to read. 🙂
I read this book so long ago but it is one of those rare books that has beat my horrible memory and stayed in my mind until now. It is so beautiful but also heartbreaking–especially Hassan’s character and what happens to him. I went through such a range of emotions reading this book but it’s one I do recommend all the time. Wonderful review!
Yes! What happens with Hassan put me on su j an emotional rollercoaster. Thank you!
This is actually one of my favourite books – it’s so beautifully written and I agree with you that the description is very well done. It broke my heart though!
It does have some heartbreak in it! I felt so bad for that family.