The kite runner- Khalid Hosseini

Book review

The kite runner- Khalid Hosseini

“Salaam, bachem.”

Engulfed with its warm treatment to the human nature, the book greets the reader politely like that.

     Khalid Hosseini, the author was 11 years old when he moved to France with his family from parent country, Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan 27 years later and felt like a tourist in his own country, owing to the damage and ruckus created by the Taliban regime. The kite runner was written by him shortly after that when the survivor’s guilt overpowered him. That could be the reason why the story sounds so real, as if Hosseini had lived the life of each character in the book.

     The story is set against the backdrop of the fall of the Afghanistan monarchy and the rise of the Taliban regime. It is the kind of a book which makes you think about it for days, months even after you are done reading it. It is the kind of a book which makes you relate with at least one character from the same. It subtly acquaints the reader with the  concept of ‘angel’ and ‘devil’ existing within each one of us. Most of the times it’s the devil which overpowers our mind. But we do get to redeem ourselves through the angel hidden somewhere in us. The life of Amir, the protagonist can prove as a simile for the same.

       The book talks about the strained relation between Amir and his father, Amir’s friendship with his shi’a servant Hassan, life of refugees and Afghani people overall. The reasons why you should read the book-

                                                                                                       

A-   Owing to the fluidity of its simple language, the book is especially recommended for those who aren’t much into reading.

B-   The unconventionality of the tale is refreshing.

C-   It gives you an overview of the situation in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime ingeniously, minus the goriness.

The kite runner is a simple yet profound tale, the kind which can be narrated for generations to come. It spent 101 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, it will stay for longer in your heart. This book is a must read for every reader out there craving for a readable story. I related with the book so much that ending the book felt like saying a goodbye to the characters that I felt I knew.

I rate this book 5/5 star.

The characters I related with- Amir and Hassan combined.