The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I received The Kite Runner as a gift from my “secret santa” at work. I’ve heard good things about this book and I’ve wanted to read it for a long time. However, I realized I did not know much about the actual story.

Amir is raised by his relatively wealthy father, their servant Ali, and Ali’s son Hassan. Amir and Hassan grow up together as friends in private.There is a deep bond between them, but it's harder for them to be seen as equals in public because Hassan is a Hazara, which is commonly viewed as a lower class citizen. Amir is different than most kids: he’s into reading and writing. He spends much of his childhood trying to catch the attention of his father and make him proud. That moment happens when Amir and Hassan win a kite flying competition. Amir is ecstatic and celebrating. Literally within minutes after, Hassan is cornered in an ally by a gang of guys, held down, and raped. Amir stands there, watches, and does nothing.

This divides the Amir and Hassan for the rest of their lives. Amir frames Hassan and Ali as thieves from his father and they are no longer servants for Amir’s family. As the Russians are invading Afghanistan, Amir and his father take refuge in Pakistan. Soon, they move to the United States. Amir gets married and becomes a writer. His father passes away. At the age of 38, he gets a call from one of his father’s friends, Rohan, to return home to visit one last time before Rohan passes away. On his return trip, he has a chance to redeem all of his regrets, mostly the chance to make it up to Hassan.

What happens on Amir’s return trip to Afghanistan, well, you will have to read for yourself. So much unfolds that I did not see any of it coming. A line towards the end of the book sums it up best: “If someone were to ask me today whether the story…ends with happiness, I wouldn’t know what to say.”

For a while, I almost believed this was the story of the author. In fact, the timeline does resemble the author's history. I liked how true events were intertwined with the story as it made the book more real. It seemed like two different worlds (Afghanistan and America) being described. The sad part is it’s really like that. Amir lives in both worlds and must live with the guilt of both. If I had to describe The Kite Runner with one word, it would be unforgettable.

My rating for The Kite Runner: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Bonus: I wanted to mention how well received my "holiday book give away" idea was. A few responses:

- It was a great book on the power of faith and like you, I'm passing it along.

- I'm addicted to the book you gave me! So good!!

I would call it a success. I hope to do the same again next year!