A novel set mostly in Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend, Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore forces ...moreA novel set mostly in Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend, Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father´s service. Amir´s relatively priviledged life in Kaboul comes to an end when the communist regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him to the U.S. There Amir meets his future, afghan wife and marries her. Amir´s father dies in the U.S. and Amir receives a letter from his father´s most trusted business partner and, for a time, Amir´s surrogate father, which makes Amir return, alone, to a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and his family, and finally, a sort of redemption.(less)
Paperback, 372 pages
Published
April 27th 2004
by Riverhead Books
(first published January 1st 1385)
I became what I am today at the age of twenty-nine, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 2008.
What I am about to tell you about what I became is going to be very shocking. It is going to manipulate your emotions. It may include some random words in my native language for no reason whatsoever. It will teach you unnecessary things about my culture. It will not be smarter than a fifth grader. And it will include as many cliches and as much foreshadowing as is humanly possibl...moreI became what I am today at the age of twenty-nine, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 2008.
What I am about to tell you about what I became is going to be very shocking. It is going to manipulate your emotions. It may include some random words in my native language for no reason whatsoever. It will teach you unnecessary things about my culture. It will not be smarter than a fifth grader. And it will include as many cliches and as much foreshadowing as is humanly possible.
You are going to be shocked. I, for one, never saw it coming. So I doubt you will. Get ready. Aren't you so ready to be shocked? You're never going to see this coming.
What comes next is the big revelation, so get ready!
Wait, I need to ask you something first. Did you know that the Irish like potatoes? Yeah, we really enjoy it. And alcohol too. It's pretty great. Erin Go Bragh! This means Ireland Forever! Unfortunately, you will be very sad to know that my father just died due to an Irish car bomb. Well, about 15 of them to be exact. All on an empty stomach! It makes me sad and you should feel sad too, kind reader.
Ok, on to the big reveal. Here it is:
On that frigid overcast day, which happened to be the day that I decided to quit reading The Kite Runner, I became a book snob.
Because The Kite Runner is adored by most people who read it, I am forced to conclude that most people need to read more. A whole lot more. You should be embarrassed if you like this book. Seriously. The moment I became a book snob (shortly after "The Scene"), I became so embarrassed to be seen reading it that I accused the guy sitting next to me on the subway of putting the book on my lap while I wasn't paying attention. "How dare you, sir? Have you no decency?" I exclaimed excitedly in my native language. Then I noticed a monkey on the platform waiting to board a train. I quickly hopped off my train, ran to him, handed him the book, and said "Top O' the Mornin' to ya! Enjoy!"
Later that day, I saw that monkey flying a kite in front of the Washington Monument. I noticed that the glass string wasn't making his hands bloody. Do you know why? He was wearing gloves. (less)
Moadwhat a laugh! dude.. :))))
Jan 24, 2012 03:27am
TaylorWhy do people feel the need to write more about bad books then they do about good ones. Most of the time the review isn't until after some long winded...moreWhy do people feel the need to write more about bad books then they do about good ones. Most of the time the review isn't until after some long winded personal story or made up scenario.(less)
Jan 24, 2012 10:31pm
Finished this book about a month ago but it's taken me this long to write a review about it because I have such mixed feelings about it. It was a deeply affecting novel, but mostly not in a good way. I really wanted to like it, but the more I think about what I didn't like about the book, the more it bothers me. I even downgraded this review from two stars to one from the time I started writing it to the time I finished.
Let's start off with the good, shall we? The writing itself was...moreFinished this book about a month ago but it's taken me this long to write a review about it because I have such mixed feelings about it. It was a deeply affecting novel, but mostly not in a good way. I really wanted to like it, but the more I think about what I didn't like about the book, the more it bothers me. I even downgraded this review from two stars to one from the time I started writing it to the time I finished.
Let's start off with the good, shall we? The writing itself was pretty good when it comes to description, in that I really felt the author's descriptions of scenes, and in terms of moving the story forward. That said, it's not particularly challenging writing to read.
The very best part of the novel is its warm depiction of the mixed culture of Afghanistan, and how it conveys the picture of a real Afghanistan as a living place, before the coup, the Soviet invasion, and above all, the Taliban and the aftermath of September 11th created a fossilized image in the US of a failed state, petrified in "backwardness" and locked in the role of a villain from central casting.
Now for the not so good.
== Spoiler Alert ==
... because I don't think I'm going to be able to complain about what I didn't like about the book without revealing major plot points. (Not to mention, some of what follows will only make sense to someone who has read the book.) So if you don't want to spoil it for yourself, read no further, here be spoilers:
My overwhelming emotion throughout the book is feeling entirely manipulated. Of course, one major reason for this is that the author's attempts at metaphor, allegory, and forshadowing are utterly ham-fisted. When he wants to make a point, he hits you over the head with it, hard -- Amir's split lip / Hassan's cleft palate comes immediately, resoundingly to mind.
But I feel manipulated beyond that. The members of the servant class in this story suffer tragic, unspeakable calamities, sometimes at the hands of our fine hero, and yet the novel seems to expect the reader to reserve her sympathies for the "wronged" privileged child, beating his breast over the emotional pain of living with the wounds he has selfishly inflicted upon others. How, why, am I supposed to feel worse for him as he feels bad about what he has done to others? Rather than feeling most sympathy and kinship for those who, through absolutely no fault of their own, must suffer, not just once or twice, but again and again?
Of course this elevation of / identification with the "wounded"/flawed hero goes hand in hand with an absolutely detestable portrayal of the members of the servant class as being at their utmost happiest when they are being their most servile and utterly subjugating their own needs, wants, desires, pleasures -- their own selves, in fact -- to the needs of their masters. (Even when they are protecting their masters from their own arrogance, heartlessness, or downright stupidity.)
I don't see how the main character, Amir, could possibly be likeable. Amir's battle with Assef, momentous as it is, is not so much him taking a stand because he feels driven to do so or feels that he must. Rather, he acts with very little self-agency at all -- he is more or less merely carried forward into events. (And, moreover, in the end it is Sohrab (Hassan again) who saves him.)
I finished the novel resenting Amir, and even more intensely resenting the author for trying to make the reader think she's supposed to care about Amir, more than about anyone else in the story.
A couple other points: I'm wondering if one theme of the novel is that there are no definitive happy endings, no single immutable moments of epiphany or redemption. Because Amir's moral "triumph", such as it is, over Assef, is so short-lived. He manages to crash horrifically only a week or two later, when he goes back on his word to Sohrab about his promise not to send him to an orphanage.
And lastly, I don't understand why Baba's hypocrisy is not more of a theme. He makes such a point of drilling into his son's head that a lie is a theft of one's right to the truth. His own hipocrisy there is a profound thing, and it's a shame the author doesn't do more with it.
Nevertheless, after all the bad things I had to say about it, I do have a couple quotes worth keeping:
"Every woman needed a husband. Even if he did silence the song in her." (p.178)
"'That's the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. That's the Afghanistan I know. You? You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it.'" (p. 232)
=== UPDATE ===
I originally posted my review The Kite Runner in February 2008. Since then, my review has generated a very robust response from other Goodreads members. I have responded a couple of times in the comments section, but I realize that by now, the comments section has gotten long enough that some folks may not realize that I have added some clarifications to my review. So, although the extended reply that I posted in the comments section in October 2008 is still available in the comments section, I am re-posting it here, so people don't miss it.
I also want to offer my continued thanks to those who have read, liked, and/or comment on my review of The Kite Runner. This kind of back-and-forth conversation on books is exactly why I signed on to Goodreads! I appreciate the feedback, and look forward to engaging in more such discussion.
Finally, one more quick reply. One recent commenter asked how I could have given this book only a 1 star rating, if I was so affected by it. As I replied in the comments, the short answer is that I am guided by Goodread's prompts when I rate a book. Two stars is "It was OK;" 1 star is "I didn't like it." While I have praised a few things about the book, the bottom line is, overall, I didn't like it. -- Linda, 22 July 2011
Posted 24 October 2008: There have been many comments to my review since I first wrote it, and I thought it might be about time for me to weigh in for a moment.
Before I get into my response, I must start off with a great thank you for all those who have felt sufficiently moved (positively or negatively) by my review to comment and respond. I appreciate all the comments, whether I agree with them or not.
First of all, I'd like to address the question of whether we're "supposed" to like Amir or not. Yes, I do realize that sometimes writers create and/or focus on a character that the reader is not meant to like. Here, though, the story is clearly meant to be about some kind of redemption -- but I found Amir so distasteful, that I simply wasn't interested in his redemption. The focus of the story was entirely on how Amir's life had been corrupted by the despicable things he'd done - when the things he'd done were entirely part and parcel of the position of power and privilege he occupied over Hassan.
Which brings me to my second point, the insufferable current of paternalism that runs throughout the story. The members of the servant and poorer classes are consistently portrayed as saintly, absurdly self-sacrificing, one-dimensional characters. Regardless of what terrible things befall them, they are shown to have nothing but their masters' interests at heart. Granted, it may be unlikely that the powerless would be overtly talking back and setting their masters straight; however, the novel gives no indication that they even have any private wishes of recrimination, or much of a private life, for that matter. Given this portrayal, it is even more difficult for me to muster any interest in Amir's suffering. But to suggest that perhaps we're misinterpreting the servants' subservient attitudes because we approach the story from a different time, place, or culture, is simply to engage in a cultural relativism borne out of -- and perpetuating -- the very same paternalism.
To clarify my point, let's look at some comparable examples from US culture. Consider any one of a huge number of films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Clara's Heart, Bagger Vance, or Ghost (all simply continuing a tradition that reaches back to Shirley Temple's days) in which noble servants or similar helpers have absolutely no concern in their lives other than making sure the wealthy people they are serving have happy, fulfilled lives -- while they themselves never seem to have any of their own personal hopes, desires, triumphs, tragedies, or even any hint of a home, family, personal, or romantic life at all. Their total happiness is bound up entirely with serving the lives of their rich counterparts. It is this quality, present throughout Hosseini's book, that bothers me most.
In the end, however, a beautifully written story could have overcome these criticisms -- or at the very least, I would have been able to temper or counter my points above with lavish praise for the writing. However, here, again, the novel falls flat. It is not particularly well-written. As some other commenters have also pointed out, the storytelling is quite heavy-handed, and the narrative suffers from implausible plot twists and uncanny coincidences, and a writing style that relies far too heavily on cliches and obvious literary devices.
I wish that I could say I liked the book more. To answer [another commenter's] question, I haven't read A Thousand Splendid Suns; I'm afraid I wasn't particularly motivated to do so after my reaction to this one. However, I do believe, as that commenter also suggests, that there is something to be gained from the debate and discussion that the book has inspired.
(less)
BrendaI am wondering if anyone who took liberal swings at the "writing style" has published anything in their second language? It would be fun to...moreI am wondering if anyone who took liberal swings at the "writing style" has published anything in their second language? It would be fun to critique that for sure.(less)
Nov 27, 2011 07:33am
BecomingmeI really LIKE your review, I think it states what I felt regarding the book and why it took me so long to finish it. I HATED Amir, and hated the fact...moreI really LIKE your review, I think it states what I felt regarding the book and why it took me so long to finish it. I HATED Amir, and hated the fact that the book seemed to try a garnish pity and admiration for him(Armir)...Again I think you for eloquently saying what I could not. And that quote about the women, I saw that and I too thought they were thrown in there not as "bad" things, but as a sign of what was "good" and what "should" be, and THAT makes me want to hurl...(less)
Jan 08, 2012 01:49pm
This is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly. Just like the spate of Native American pop fiction in the late eighties, this is overwhelmingly colonized literature, in that it pretends to reveal some aspect of the 'other' culture, but on closer inspection (aside from the occasional tidbit) it is a thoroughly western story, firmly ensconced in the western tradition.
Even those tidbits Hosseini gives are of such a vague degree that to be impressed by them, one would have...moreThis is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly. Just like the spate of Native American pop fiction in the late eighties, this is overwhelmingly colonized literature, in that it pretends to reveal some aspect of the 'other' culture, but on closer inspection (aside from the occasional tidbit) it is a thoroughly western story, firmly ensconced in the western tradition.
Even those tidbits Hosseini gives are of such a vague degree that to be impressed by them, one would have to have almost no knowledge of the history of Afghanistan, nor the cultural conflicts raging there between the Shia and Sunni Muslims, or how it formed a surrogate battleground for Russia and the United States. Sadly, most Americans have no familiarity with either.
Hosseini's story is thickly foreshadowed and wraps up so neatly in the end that the reader will never have to worry about being surprised. Every coincidence that could happen, does happen, which makes for a rather dull plot. He does attempt to bring some excitement to the story with dramatized violence, but that's hardly a replacement for a well-constructed plot. He is also fond of forcing tension by creating a small conflict between two characters and then having them agonize over it for years, despite the fact that it would be easy to fix and the characters have no reason to maintain the conflict. And since the conflict does not grow or change over time, the characters are quickly reduced to petty and repetitive reactions to everything.
He even creates a cliched 'white devil' character, a literal sociopath (and pedophile) as the symbol for the 'evils' of the Taliban. This creates an odd conflict in the narrative, since one of the main themes is that simple inequalities and pointless conflicts stem from Afghan tradition, itself. His indelicate inclusion of wealthy, beautiful, white power as the source of religious turmoil in the mid-east negates his assertion that the conflicts are caused by small-mindedness.
The fact that this character seems to have the depth of motivation of a Disney villain also means that he does not work as a representation of the fundamental causes of colonial inequality, which tend to be economic, not personal. The various mixed messages about the contributors to the ongoing Afghan conflict suggest that Hosseini does not have anything insightful to say about it.
Perhaps the worst part about this book is how much it caters to the ignorance of White America. It will allow naive readers to feel better about themselves for feeling sympathy with the mid-east conflict, but is also lets them retain a sense of superiority over the Muslims for their 'backwards, classicist, warlike' ways. In short, it supports the condescending, parental view that many Americans already have about the rest of the world. And it does all this without revealing any understanding of the vast and vital economic concerns which make the greater mid-east so vitally important to the future of the world.
It is unfortunate that nowhere amongst this book's artfully dramatized violence and alternative praising and demonizing of the West is there the underlying sense of why this conflict is happening, of what put it all into place, and of why it will continue to drag us all down. The point where it could turn sympathy into indignation or realization is simply absent.
There is a bad joke on the internet showing a map of the world with the mid-east replaced by a sea-filled crater with the comment 'problem solved'. What this map fails to represent is that there is a reason the West keeps meddling in the affairs of the mid-east, and that every time we do, it creates another conflict. As long as we see the Taliban as faceless sociopaths, we can do nothing against them. We must recognize that normal people fall down these paths, and that everyone sees himself as being 'in the right'. Who is more right: a Westerner who bombs a child, or a Muslim who does?
The point shouldn't be to separate the 'good Muslims' from the 'bad Muslims', because people aren't fundamentally good or bad. They are fundamentally people. Almost without exception, they are looking out for their future, their children, and their communities. Calling someone 'evil' merely means you have ceased to try understanding their point of view, and decided instead to merely hate because it's easier to remain ignorant than to try to understand.
This book isn't particularly insightful or well-written, but that is in no way unusual in bestsellers. The problem is that Americans are going to use this book to justify their ignorance about the problems in the east. This book will make people feel better about themselves, instead of helping them to think better about the world.
For an actually insightful, touching view of the Afghan conflict, I would suggest avoiding this bit of naive melodrama and looking up Emmanuel Guibert's 'The Photographer'.(less)
NafiulTo Keely. Reading your review again, I can understand that you have taken a different look at the book. I am a Muslim myself, and there are many p...moreTo Keely. Reading your review again, I can understand that you have taken a different look at the book. I am a Muslim myself, and there are many parts of the book that are incorrect, there are many inconsistencies that determine it to be untrue. The Talibans are shown to the sociopaths, and some of them are and some of them are not. What needs to be understood it is perception that this book represents and some of them are not even valid conclusions. The reason why I chose to truly like this book is because it feels like a truthful account of a person who has in truth never really faced the harsh realities of Afghanistan.
Let me remind you, this is a child, who is telling his own story and in fact one that has been ‘Americanized’. Amir has been brought up in a rich home, surrounded by people who do not even respect Islam to not drink alcohol, which is a major sin in Islam. What he is, is essentially an American from birth having simply been born in Afghanistan. He has been aligned with American ideals, of love, of so called ‘liberty’, in truth he has always been at odds with Afghan culture because it is a culture that never truly appreciated him and his skills. Coming to the United States gives him joy and turns him into someone that is valued; contrary to what happened in Afghanistan. The society that he lives in is also western.
I believe what you wanted was an insight into Afghanistan. But this is not an insight into Afghanistan; it is simply a story of a niche group of upper class Afghans. You cannot imagine how Americanized some communities are in the world.
Perhaps it fails to provide the insight you wanted into Afghanistan. But, what it does achieve is realistic story of what a snob would feel like. The reason why I chose to like it is because it remains true to the character of the person. It does not fail to explore the limited understanding that a person can have because of a lack of understanding, and resentment at the past. I mean, would you not expect someone to be narrow-minded because they had a particular upbringing?
Now, the way that Muslims are portrayed is the portrayal of someone who has no true understanding of the religion would feel. I believe, that the story remains true to the person telling it. This is not a journey of understanding that KH is describing, but one that simply is concerned with redemption.(less)
updated
Dec 31, 2011 04:39am
KeelyHow can redemption possibly occur without understanding?
Greek scholar Edith Hamilton defined tragedy as 'something terrible befalling a per...moreHow can redemption possibly occur without understanding?
Greek scholar Edith Hamilton defined tragedy as 'something terrible befalling a person who has the utmost capacity to feel and comprehend it' (I paraphrase). Redemption relies on the same depth of feeling. A person cannot experience redemption without coming to some drastically new understanding about the world, and about themselves. Without that kind of new comprehension, the notion of 'redemption' is just a self-justifying delusion.
I would be interested to know what you think the redemptive event is, and what transformative insight is drawn from that event.
"The reason why I chose to truly like this book is because it feels like a truthful account of a person who has in truth never really faced the harsh realities of Afghanistan. . . would you not expect someone to be narrow-minded because they had a particular upbringing?"
Yes, but a narrow-minded truth really isn't truth at all. It is impossible to write a good book without self-awareness and self-deprication. If an author cannot look at their own flaws and write about them, then they are not writing a book about ignorance, but a book of ignorance.
This is not a book about a spoiled, narrow-minded person, because it does not explore the source or result of that narrow-mindedness. It merely resides in narrow-mindedness because the author is incapable of seeing the world in any other way.
This is not a sign of a skilled author, it is, in fact, a sign of a very unskilled author, who is not able to comprehend others enough to write complete characters. We might see some inadvertent insights into closed-mindedness, but this is despite the author, not because of him.
This book is only 'realistic' in the sense that the author is too guileless to actually write fiction. It is real because all he can write is himself and he doesn't have enough experience to step outside of that and create something profound.
In that sense, I suppose it might be interesting to see how the author naively and inadvertently reveals himself, but again, that is a sign of how unskilled he is, and how flawed his depiction of the story is. I could hardly rate a book highly if the only interesting thing about it is how the author is unable to write good fiction.(less)
Dec 31, 2011 09:00am
"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."
"...attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."
"But even when he wasn't around, he was."
"When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal a wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you ch...more"For you, a thousand times over."
"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."
"...attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."
"But even when he wasn't around, he was."
"When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal a wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing."
"...she had a voice that made me think of warm milk and honey."
"My heart stuttered at the thought of her."
"...and I would walk by, pretending not to know her, but dying to."
"It turned out that, like satan, cancer had many names."
"Every woman needed a husband, even if he did silence the song in her."
"The first time I saw the Pacific, I almost cried."
"Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look."
"Make morning into a key and throw it into the well,
Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.
Let the morning sun forget to rise in the East,
Go slowly, lovely moon, go slowly."
"Men are easy,... a man's plumbing is like his mind: simple, very few surprises. You ladies, on the other hand... well, God put a lot of thought into making you."
"All my life, I'd been around men. That night, I discovered the tenderness of a woman."
"And I could almost feel the emptiness in [her] womb, like it was a living, breathing thing. It had seeped into our marriage, that emptiness, into our laughs, and our lovemaking. And late at night, in the darkness of our room, I'd feel it rising from [her] and settling between us. Sleeping between us. Like a newborn child."
"America was a river, roaring along unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. If for nothing else, for that I embraced America."
"...and every day I thank [God] that I am alive, not because I fear death, but because my wife has a husband and my son is not an orphan."
"...lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty."
"...sometimes the dead are luckier."
"He walked like he was afraid to leave behind footprints. He moved as if not to stir the air around him."
"...and when she locked her arms around my neck, when I smelled apples in her hair, I realized how much I had missed her. 'You're still the morning sun to me...' I whispered."
"...there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eys of the people in this [hospital] corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him... there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is."(less)
Recommends it for: anyone wanting to keep their blinders on
I found this book a failure of courage and imagination -- all the more upsetting for the author's astute sense of detail and wonderful psychological depth. But ask yourself this: if the Taliban are real human than why are they not represented as such? No doubt we will all love the movie as well.
If you want to read a book on Afghanistan, I recommend Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light.
Below is my complete review:
I started out loving this book. Hosseini is de...moreI found this book a failure of courage and imagination -- all the more upsetting for the author's astute sense of detail and wonderful psychological depth. But ask yourself this: if the Taliban are real human than why are they not represented as such? No doubt we will all love the movie as well.
If you want to read a book on Afghanistan, I recommend Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light.
Below is my complete review:
I started out loving this book. Hosseini is dead on target in his depiction of children's psychology, the non-contractual relationships between master and servant, and in his weaving of the threads between trauma, memory, and denial.
Further, Hosseini captures the feel of life in a Third World country. His depiction of Afghanistan confirms my own short travels in Afghanistan during the 1970s. Indeed, I was becoming ever more excited with the possibility of teaching this book in my new course on Afghanistan. But alas.
The book fails exactly where it most needs to succeed - in the depiction of the Taliban. When we do not have an archive, or the possibility of getting at the facts and narratives of a part of history, fiction can be used creatively and responsibly in order to construct something real. Take, for example, the extraordinary slave narrative written by Guy Endore -- Babouk. After years of research, Endore writes a history of a slave engaged in rebellion just prior to the Haitian Revolution.
Hosseini has the skills but not the courage nor the empathy/sympathy to portray the Taliban as historical, sociological, economic, modern creations. Discounting and trivializing his own skills, he characterizes the Taliban in the easiest way -- as simple, cartoonish, evil. He thereby does nothing to enlighten us. Worse, he panders to a sleepwalking liberal public who happily accept his vision as a seemingly authentic reflection of their own myopia.
Most everyone is satisfied: the U.S. public for having read about a country they destroyed -- feeling all the better at having disposed of evil; the publishers for their timely profit; and Hosseini for having expressed his romantic sense of loss.
At least V.S. Niapaul is honest about his hatred for his own people. Hosseini's twist is less forgivable -- he gives aide to the very people whose malice, neglect, ignorance, and misunderstanding of Afghan people is one key factor in the destruction of this beautiful land and vital people.
A failure of imagination is often the result of a failure in will, in courage, in politics. Hosseini traps himself in the politics of nostalgia.
(For a similar review with a more academic bent, please see:
Recommends it for: people who slurp up 'chicken soup for the soul' books
i really wanted to like this novel. judging from its thousands of 'five-star reviews' hailing it as the one of the 'best books ever written,' i'm in the minority when i state that this novel, while well-intentioned, just left a little bit of sour taste in my mouth.
my problems with the novel are as follows: first of all the writing itself is so ham-fistened, heavy-handed, distracting and otherwise puzzling that by the midway point, i seriously considered chucking the book against the...morei really wanted to like this novel. judging from its thousands of 'five-star reviews' hailing it as the one of the 'best books ever written,' i'm in the minority when i state that this novel, while well-intentioned, just left a little bit of sour taste in my mouth.
my problems with the novel are as follows: first of all the writing itself is so ham-fistened, heavy-handed, distracting and otherwise puzzling that by the midway point, i seriously considered chucking the book against the wall. each page of the novel has at least 5-10 incomplete sentences. i'm all for experimental and fractered prose--but it's important for authors to use it judiciously. hosseini, unfortunately, beats it to death. a lot of his language is cliched, too, which is funny considering there's a passage in the book about a writing teacher who warns the narrator, amir, about using cliches. i don't know if that was supposed to be funny or not, but it made me laugh (and what was worse was the san francisco's chronicle's glowing review on the book's cover and the san francisco chronicle's glowing review of amir's novel--coincidence?).
the author's use of farsi--especially in the dialogue--was equally distracting. my point is that no one speaks the way his characters speak. people don't switch back and forth between languages while speaking, and if they do, they certainly don't speak 1/2 the sentence in english, say one word in farsi, then traslate the farsi word to english, then finish the sentence in english, when they're presumably speaking farsi to begin with. i didn't pick up this book for a crash course in colloquial farsi. after 370 pages, i was frustrated--and annoyed.
hosseini's plot often borders on the ridiculous. the'twists' are just TOO coincidental--and not surprising at all (except in how contrived they are). for example, in a devasted kabul, amir sees a homeless man in the street. the homeless man, of course, was a former university professor who just happened to teach with amir's long deceased mother. what a coincidence! what makes it worse, is that the narrator, amir then explains that while that may, in fact, seem like a coincidence, it happens in afghanistan happens all the time. of course it does. in another example, amir's former nemesis, assaf (now a taliban crony), beats up amir and amir ends up with a scar above his lip, just like his dear friend hassan, who was born with cleft-pallet. oh, the coincidence! (and the fact that amir even runs into assef again is ridiculous). another example: amir and his wife aren't able to have children, and of course they find an orphan boy who happens to be extended family and they adopt him. what a coincidence! and after amir returns to afghanistan he doesn't call home to his dutiful wife for over a month. i kept wondering 'when's he gonna call home?' and any plot advanced by a series of 'tragedies,' (and in this book they are legion) shows little more than the writer's inability to craft a meaningful and interesting plot. not only is it pretty poor form, it's also highly manipulative and condescending. i found myself continually frustrated by hosseini's apparent distrust of the reader. we don't have to be told how and when to interpret metaphors. and if i read one more book where the protagonist is a writer or professor, i'm gonna ram my head into a metal post.
i don't want to sound like a misanthrope or jaded literature reader because i'm certainly not. this novel just left me wanting so much more in terms of plot and characterization. having said that, however, the novel could be important in that shows the cruelty of the taliban. much of what hosseini writes about is important, especially for us westerners unfamiliar with the breadth and scope of the afghani tragedy.
in the end, it was worth the $2.00 i paid for it.(less)
BlakeI think it's a bit unfair to judge a novel based on the probability of its plot. If you think of any great work of fiction, there are elements of it t...moreI think it's a bit unfair to judge a novel based on the probability of its plot. If you think of any great work of fiction, there are elements of it that are quite unlikely. Therefore, I could apply the strategy you use in this review to virtually any book.
East of Eden: What are the odds of BOTH sets of brothers having stories that so closely mirror the story of Cain and Abel?
The Things They Carried: C'mon, a wholesome girl is going to go visit her boyfriend in Afghanistan and end up adopting odd tribal rituals? Give me a break!
To Kill a Mockingbird: What are the odds of a mysterious recluse living next to the main characters, having that same anti-social character see them being attacked, AND saving them?
The real question becomes if these seemingly unlikely events contribute to the novel in a meaningful way. Each of Hosseini's twists not only serve to make the novel more intersting, but are also symbolically significant.
Finally, I must point out that real life is rife with incredibly unlikely events. Thus, a novel that depicted only ordinary, likely happenings would be the most unrealistic of all.(less)
Sep 25, 2011 07:44pm
Willa-RoseActually, people DO go back and forth between languages. My Spanish friends do it all the time.
Jan 31, 2012 12:50pm
In the wake of the Fraud of Small Things, tons of Asian writers with their impossibly exotic backgrounds and compellingly interesting lives have become all the rage in the publishing world. And of course, it doesn't get more exotic than Afghanistan these days. Khalid Hosseini rides the wave for what its worth churning out a predictable piece of semi-literate garbage — the sort that will appeal only to fellow Afghani nostalgia hounds — the small proportion of whom believe books are better read th...moreIn the wake of the Fraud of Small Things, tons of Asian writers with their impossibly exotic backgrounds and compellingly interesting lives have become all the rage in the publishing world. And of course, it doesn't get more exotic than Afghanistan these days. Khalid Hosseini rides the wave for what its worth churning out a predictable piece of semi-literate garbage — the sort that will appeal only to fellow Afghani nostalgia hounds — the small proportion of whom believe books are better read than burnt — and to the sort of snobs who love regurgitating knowledge picked up second hand from books like this one to show how clued into the world they are.
The story remains at least reasonably interesting as long as its located in Afghanistan; but these thinly disguised memoirs of boyhood are a banal cliche of writing; it's only very exceptional ones like Swami & Friends and to a lesser extent Black Swan Green by David Mitchell which have any emotional impact.
The book quickly slides into ultra tedium speaking about the sad lives of the once aristocratic Afghanis exiled in America when the Soviets took over their country. And then becomes this 'exotic Afghanistan' guidebook with reams of boring detail about Afghani culture, propriety and mating rituals. I skimmed through this barely reading four lines on every page.
Our unloveable hero then returns, to reconnect with his best buddy from childhood who he insulted and vilified for some obtuse emo reason, only to find that the guy is
a) his step-brother
b)dead
tangles with the Taliban, and in a mondo improbable coincidence, meets and gets his ass-whupped by a rabidly homosexual childhood enemy. Who incidentally raped his step brother. And his step brother's son...and oh god, what's the fucking point?
You might ask why I persisted with a book I was deriving no joy out of. It wasn't because it was a compulsively readable bad book - but since I was stuck in a hotel room with an unusually severe case of insomnia, brought on, no doubt, by the dozens of cups of coffee i consumed in the course of work-related meetings through the day. Most of the other books I had were actually interesting and I figured I'd have a greater chance of crashing out while reading something that was tiresome and boring. (less)
Speechless when I'm finished this book...
Cried when read Hassan's letters to Amir
Adored what Hassan and Baba did to Amir
Excited during my journey to Kabul
Confused when I want to make a review
Hoalah....
Buku ini bikin aku nangis tengah malam, bikin aku bangun kesiangan, bikin mataku bengkak pagi-pagi, bikin gak konsen saat kerja...dan bikin aku bingung mau ngereview apa...dah menguras airmata, menguras emosi dan menguras konsentrasi...karena begitu m...moreSpeechless when I'm finished this book...
Cried when read Hassan's letters to Amir
Adored what Hassan and Baba did to Amir
Excited during my journey to Kabul
Confused when I want to make a review
Hoalah....
Buku ini bikin aku nangis tengah malam, bikin aku bangun kesiangan, bikin mataku bengkak pagi-pagi, bikin gak konsen saat kerja...dan bikin aku bingung mau ngereview apa...dah menguras airmata, menguras emosi dan menguras konsentrasi...karena begitu membaca gak bisa naruh lagi bukunya....pikiran selalu ke buku ini, gak ada dalam dua hari selesai ini buku tapi mikirinnya lebih dari seminggu.
Bukan mengenai Superhero, bukan mengenai kisah cinta-cinta jaman sekarang...tapi mengenai seorang Amir yang mempunyai banyak kekurangan dan kesalahan dan harus menebusnya saat dia menemukan cintanya....ehmmm.
Dah untuk sahabat-sahabatku, hanya satu dari buku ini :
For you,a thousand times over! (less)
So I started Kite Runner two nights ago after finishing Blink. It took me a week or so with Blink since I wasn’t very enthralled, making it easier to put it down at night when it was my bed time.
Kite Runner, I started over a long weekend and could not for the life of me put it down. I was so hooked I even found myself reading Bing’s copy when I was over at Deesh and Bing’s this weekend playing an invigorating (and might I add victorious) game of girls vs. boys Cranium and then Cheez ...moreSo I started Kite Runner two nights ago after finishing Blink. It took me a week or so with Blink since I wasn’t very enthralled, making it easier to put it down at night when it was my bed time.
Kite Runner, I started over a long weekend and could not for the life of me put it down. I was so hooked I even found myself reading Bing’s copy when I was over at Deesh and Bing’s this weekend playing an invigorating (and might I add victorious) game of girls vs. boys Cranium and then Cheez Geek (Cheez Geek one of the 3 new things this week).
The Kite Runner. Must be the most disturbing, haunting book I’ve yet to read. The close seconds would be A Child Called It and Night. They both broke my heart but not in the way Kite Runner did. I was in tears maybe four separate times during the past two days it took me to finish the novel. A coming of age story with pre–war Afganhistan and the post-Taliban arrival as the backdrop of the story.
I tend to take note of books I know my dad will enjoy and as I read them I jot down notes on post its for my dad and flag the relevant pages. I flagged the story about Amir and Hassen tying bumble bees with string and letting them fly a bit before yanking them back. My dad used to do exactly the same thing to dragonflies when he was younger growing up in Vietnam. Then as I got deeper and deeper into the book and found myself tearing up, I started to doubt whether my dad, a vet would enjoy going down memory lane. I took breaks and called Mary Ellen to relay the story and basically to pull me out a little. Relief.
The refugee stories seem to make vivid my parents’ stories post Vietnam.
I kept imagining I was reading about my dad. Funny how war is pretty much the same no matter where it is. I usually don’t read war books so this is somewhat new to me. Before Kite Runner, the only books I’ve read with war in the background were Anne Frank’s diary, The Hiding Place, and Night. All heart breaking in their own respect but I never felt so invested in events unfolding with each turn of the page as I did with Kite Runner.
So aside from making me cry so easily, Hosseini also managed to make me laugh several times out loud. One scene when Amir, in such a detached manner, thinks to himself as someone is experiencing an eye injury, “Oh that’s vitreous fluid.. I read about that, that’s vitreous fluid.” I used to work for an ophthalmologist.
So here are a few quotes I jotted down into my reading journal…
“There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft..”
“If there’s a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking Scotch or eating pork.”
“Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”
“We plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing and yanked it back every time it took flight.”
“John Wayne didn’t really speak Farsi and he wasn’t Iranian.”
“And the beggars were mostly children now, thin and grim-faced, some no older than five or six. They sat in the laps of their burque-clad mothers alongside gutters at busy street corners… Hardly any of them sat with an adult male- the war had made fathers a rare commodity in Afghanistan.”
“Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend, and seeing that life hadn’t been good to him, that he’d become homeless and destitute.”
‘I’m so afraid…. Because I’m so profoundly happy, Dr Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening. They only let you be this happy if they’re preparing to take something from you.”
I wrote the last one down because that’s how I feel when I feel very happy. I get extra wary of freak accidents.
“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up and slipping away unannounced in t(less)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.I must admit that although I had heard plenty of people mention The Kite Runner, I hadn’t actually paid much attention to what was said about it other than, “It was wonderful!”
So, a few days ago and several years after the book came out, I heard a couple of people discussing the “wonderful” book I decided to read it.
The first day, I read about a third of the novel (Hassan is raped, Amir feels bad, well sort of, he feels bad that Hassan is raped yes, but even worse becau...moreI must admit that although I had heard plenty of people mention The Kite Runner, I hadn’t actually paid much attention to what was said about it other than, “It was wonderful!”
So, a few days ago and several years after the book came out, I heard a couple of people discussing the “wonderful” book I decided to read it.
The first day, I read about a third of the novel (Hassan is raped, Amir feels bad, well sort of, he feels bad that Hassan is raped yes, but even worse because Hassan’s rape makes him feel bad and, of course, this means he needs to act badly and do bad things, and make more bad stuff happen to Hassan who is not bad at all.) And, I will admit that this portion of the book had me reading as quickly as I could. I flipped from one page to the next, skimmed over the plethora of annoyances, oops, I mean I skimmed over the Farsi vocab sprinkled evenly throughout to, of course, add authenticity and give it that multicultural feel that is sure to make every publisher drool over a manuscript, and I was even forgiving of the somewhat poor writing. Yes, on day one, I liked The Kite Runner. I was into The Kite Runner. And when I decided to continue my read the next day – I had high hopes!
The second day, I read to the point where Amir gets a phone call from a man he has not seen in years, abandons his “perfect life” in America (well, almost perfect, there is the infertility and the gap that his wife’s uterus is forming between them, but their sex life is still good – sometimes… WHAT!? Never mind…) so, anyway, Amir hops on a plane to Afghanistan which is being ruled by the Taliban, yet he enters without issue, and follows the yellow brick road and lands at OZ where it turns out that the man behind the glasses is not John Lennon at all – he is Assef – his childhood nemesis, pedophile, and just plain evil guy (and you know he is evil cause he likes Hitler – although he has never heard of ethic cleansing). So, Amir walks right into the Taliban compound and asks to see the wizard, I mean their leader, and is allowed to do so (actually it was more difficult for Dorothy to get in to see the wizard, she should have taken Amir with her) and when he gets in, we find out that Hassan’s son is made to dress like a monkey - GET IT A MONKEY – ya know like the monkey that Amir and Hassan would go see (too bad it wasn’t a flying monkey) – and provide entertainment for the Taliban, and provide sexual services for Assef – the same guy that had sex with Hassan and, now the obviously simple minded reader that Hosseini wrote for, says, “that is so weird the way that all happened, wow, I cant believe the way this is all coming together, this is sooooooo fascinating!” Oh, and for the thinking reader with any literary competence who MAY think that this is too much of a coincidence, don’t be so critical; this issue was already addressed when Amir ran into a beggar that happened to have taught with (and remembered doing so) Amir’s mother. We, the readers, are clearly TOLD that coincidence is VERY common in Afghanistan. Therefore, if the rest of the story seems too contrived, don’t worry, it is realistic for Afghanistan. So, don’t question it, cause he is the expert on Afghanistan and you (the reader) are not, therefore, just accept that this completely ridiculous, unrealistic, obviously contrived series of events, are very realistic in Afghanistan!
My third day of reading, I completed the book and instead of placing my hand over my heart, smiling, and thinking about how wonderful the book was, how beautiful the story was, and how it all came so nicely together in the end (apparently the reaction of the masses), I was mad. I was mad because there are so many people out there who think a book this ridiculous and obvious is brilliant. I was mad because this is precisely what is wrong with some multicultural literature and what gives multicultural literature a bad name. There are many pieces out there which are actually beautifully written, provide valuable insight into other cultures, and entertain the reader (i.e. Reading Lolita in Tehran), however, it does nothing for multicultural literature to publish pieces that are poorly written and filled with cliché. I can forgive (to a certain extent) poorer writing when the story is written as a true account and when the purpose of the novel to re-tell actual events. However, when an author decides he is going to write a piece of fiction, his style, diction, and storyline come into question. The final portion of the novel continues throwing out one cliché after another, and throws out one ridiculous coincidence after another. Just the fact that a good portion of the middle of the book was dedicated to pounding it into the readers head that Amir and Soraya could not have children and did not want to adopt, well, that is unless the bloodline is known, is enough to clue the reader in that they will adopt Sohrab waaaay before Amir even knows that he will adopt Sohrab. What a coincidence that Hassan just happened to be his half brother, happened to have a son, and the son happened to have been taken by Assef. And it was even more convenient that even from the grave, once again, Hassan could save Amir. He could provide him with a son and the opportunity to finally fight the big bully who STILL carried his brass knuckles. And more convenient yet, the fact that Sohrab always carried that slingshot (And in case we forgot that he always carried it, Amir remembered for us, as if Hosseini wants to say: see readers how clever I am, I set it up that Sohrab always had the slingshot, and now later in the story, it comes back out. See how clever I am readers, everything in my story has a purpose and is connected). However, what Hosseini needed to do is explain how a kid who has been taken from an orphanage, made to dress and entertain like a monkey, lives with the Taliban, and is a sex slave for the Big Bad Assef, still managed to keep his slingshot – the very weapon used against Assef in the past, and the very weapon that Assef has an issue with! Just how dumb must a reader be to believe that the freakin Taliban NEVER NOTICED!? So, okay, Sohrab saves Amir, they escape and the Taliban does nothing, and then another freaking coincidence – Amir will end up with a scar. And in case the reader does not deduce that Amir will have a scar from his busted lip, the doctor points it out and confirms it. Yes, reader, a scar like Hassan’s – get it? It’s connected – get it?
Truth be told, there are so many unbelievable incidents and ridiculous coincidences presented to us in this book that it would take pages to go through them all because they were present from beginning to end: The young Russian soldier who doesn’t shoot Baba and the older Russian soldier who apologizes for him and talks about the young soldiers – YEAH RIGHT! The fact that Amir is an author who is published right away and cranks out novel after novel with great success – YEAH RIGHT! Baba dies of lung cancer and then Rahim Khan seems to have to same issue – does Hosseini think all people who die of natural causes die of lung issues? Raymond Andrews who has a bad attitude because his kid committed suicide, and then the receptionist actually tells Amir that this happened – the way this came out seemed completely fake and contrived because – IT WOULDN’T HAPPEN! Then, of course, Sohrab tries to kill himself, so now we know why Andrews kid had to commit suicide – we needed one more obvious instance of foreshadowing. It is also a little odd how often Amir throws out how he knows about medicine because he is a writer – WHAT? I didn’t know I needed to seek out an author when I was sick. And so on and so on…
But one final point that I would like to make is that as soon as Amir picked up a kite it seemed that, much like Jesus, his hands began to bleed; therefore, I am left to wonder: why didn’t Amir know about the invent of gloves? Perhaps that is the biggest tragedy of it all.
By the way, I am still giving the novel two stars because there is an interesting story in there, and the glimpse into Afghanistan is valuable. It is just that the author did such a poor job of presenting the story that it actually detracts from the positive aspects of the book and makes the validity of his glimpse into Afghanistan quite questionable. Therefore, my two stars are for the possibilities that could have been if it had been written by a talented author.
(less)
After pondering long and hard, I'm going to try now to articulate just what it was about this book that sucked so much, why it has offended me so greatly, and why its popularity has enraged me even more. This book blew so much that I've been inspired to start my own website of book reviews for non-morons. So let us explore why.
First, let's deal with the writer himself. Hosseini's father worked for Western companies while in Afghasnistan. While daddy (who I am guessing, from Hosseini...moreAfter pondering long and hard, I'm going to try now to articulate just what it was about this book that sucked so much, why it has offended me so greatly, and why its popularity has enraged me even more. This book blew so much that I've been inspired to start my own website of book reviews for non-morons. So let us explore why.
First, let's deal with the writer himself. Hosseini's father worked for Western companies while in Afghasnistan. While daddy (who I am guessing, from Hosseini's tragic account of the "fictional" father, never accepts his son) worked and got wealthy, normal Afghans lived their lives. When war broke out, Hosseini's father was offered a safe position in Iran. Just before the revolution in Iran, his father was offered another job in Paris, before finally taking the family to the USA.
That's fine ... some of us are lucky in life. Others are not. What bothers me, though, is that The Kite Runner is so obviously what Hosseini WISHES had happened.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Hassan character really did exist in some form or another. Surely Hosseini had a friend/sometimes playmate/servant who was left behind while Hosseini's powerful family escaped. Surely, Hosseini feels guilty for leaving his homeland by simple privilege while the less fortunate were left behind to fight the Soviets, the Mujahideen, and then the Taliban. And surely, Hosseini wishes he were some flawed hero that didn't simply get lucky. He wishes he'd majored in English, as the protagonist does, and published fiction books instead of becoming a run-of-the-mill doctor; he wishes his father had depended upon him in the USA as happens in the book, instead of getting by just fine as a rich exile with a daddy-doesn't-love-me complex; he wishes he could go back to Afghanistan, risking his life to make ammends for his shitty and cowardly past, instead of remaining a wealthy outsider living happily in the USA.
Hosseini is simply some guy who feels guilty about having escaped what so many of his fellow countrymen couldn't, and he makes up for it in fantasy in a million ways: accepting his fallen father, marrying an "unsuitable" woman, listening to a voice from the past, saving the son of his friend he watched being raped decades before (when he was too selfish to intervene), stomaching the live stoning of a burka-clad woman and her adulterous lover, taking a beating from an old enemy/Taliban child molestor, giving $2000 to a poor smuggler who tries to feed his kids on $3 a week, and saving a 12 year-old from suicide. If Hosseini REALLY did all this, what a hero he would be. Instead, he just makes it up and calles it a novel ... and people devour this shit with tears, labeling it as "inspirational" and "moving."
What really bothers me? Besides all of the contrived and predictable plot twists?? What really disturbs me is that people not only eat this shit up, but they also call it "literature," award it, and give this guy money and license to write another book.
For lack of better words ... WTF?!!!??! Has everyone just gone STUPID?!!?!?
I could go on about how the writing sucks, especially when the author admits to using cliches (elephant in the room, dark as night, thin as a rake, et fucking c) but I won't.
Why? A couple of reasons:
1) If you liked this book, a part of you is sick, and a larger part of you is an idiot
2) I could write a 100-page thesis about how much this book blew monkey chunks, but it's not worth my time
3) This shit sells, and Hosseini, between his stupid book and movie deals, is an even richer man than he was before ... which in the end, makes him smarter than you, me, and everyone else .... He understands the market and fed it back to us. We probably deserve it.
(less)
BenYou should stop whining about the author and write a review on whether you enjoyed the book BASED on the plot and characters. The real world behind th...moreYou should stop whining about the author and write a review on whether you enjoyed the book BASED on the plot and characters. The real world behind the making of the book is irrelevant.(less)
Oct 05, 2011 06:52pm
SophieI personally liked the book, I had to study it in sixth from last year for my English lit exam.One of the main reasons I liked it was because it opene...moreI personally liked the book, I had to study it in sixth from last year for my English lit exam.One of the main reasons I liked it was because it opened my eyes to a side of Afghanistan that I was entirely ignorant of beforehand. For it to be put as an option on the UK A level syllabus, I think shows that it's respected by academics as well as just being popular with the general public. I've also read "A thousand Splendid Suns" by the same author, and it seems to me that he is trying to raise awareness as well as share his culture through literature rather than it being an outlet for his guilt. I agree some of the plot was predictable but I love his style of writing so it didn't bother me as much as it has clearly enraged you.(less)
Jan 20, 2012 02:39pm
I had serious issues with this book. There might be spoilers below, if you're super-picky. But I'm not going to tell you about how Amir is actually, unbeknownst to the reader, the ghost of the patron saint of Afghanistan the whole time, or anything. Oh, damn.
I hated the narrator's guts nearly immediately, and only partially got over that over the course of the novel. I'm fine with narrators I dislike--I LOVE Notes from the Underground, and that guy's the king of skeezes--but only if ...moreI had serious issues with this book. There might be spoilers below, if you're super-picky. But I'm not going to tell you about how Amir is actually, unbeknownst to the reader, the ghost of the patron saint of Afghanistan the whole time, or anything. Oh, damn.
I hated the narrator's guts nearly immediately, and only partially got over that over the course of the novel. I'm fine with narrators I dislike--I LOVE Notes from the Underground, and that guy's the king of skeezes--but only if their voices are interesting enough to counterbalance whatever it is about them I despise.
My problem with Amir is that for the boyhood section of the book, he's weak, cowardly, cruel, and dull. He's unapologetic about his really ugly personality, but he also completely fails to take any responsibility for himself. It seemed at times like he was boring himself with his own pettiness. If you're going to be an unpleasant person, I guess, at least take some pride in it. Enjoy your moral decrepitude. Own it. Amir cringes nonstop.
Then there were the gratuitous Farsi vocab lessons. No one speaks the way Amir does, first in his native language, then translating for the invisible audience who only knows English. The author used language as a bland condiment instead of allowing for the slightest bit of mystery--part of the book's appeal is that it's about a place and groups of people about which we're woefully ignorant, but I thought allowing for that instead of belaboring every exchange between two Afghani men with explanations for the clueless Americans might have made it a stronger book. I'm OK using context clues once in a while, or wondering what nang and namoos are, besides silly words when I take them out of context.
I don't have any complaints about the very moving and human drama that unfolds when Amir goes back to Afghanistan. The story kept me curious enough to keep reading through to the end even when the characters had exasperated me. The parallelism was so heavy-handed, though (GET IT??? His lip was SPLIT IN TWO! That's somehow FAMILIAR!) And I did think Amir managed finally to redeem himself, which is good, because I would have felt a Da Vinci Code sense of betrayal had he not, then thrown the book at the nearest wall.
I'm looking forward to the movie. I hadn't realized the same director as Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction was doing it, and I like his work.(less)
I have some criticisms for this book, but because I chewed through it in such a short amount of time, I'll start with what I like and move to the criticisms.
I did NOT want to like this book. I am one of those annoying people who wants to dislike what everyone else likes, and wants to like what everyone else dislikes. Usually, this works out for me without effort, however; in the world of literature there are occasions that it does not. This was one of those occasions.
The ...moreI have some criticisms for this book, but because I chewed through it in such a short amount of time, I'll start with what I like and move to the criticisms.
I did NOT want to like this book. I am one of those annoying people who wants to dislike what everyone else likes, and wants to like what everyone else dislikes. Usually, this works out for me without effort, however; in the world of literature there are occasions that it does not. This was one of those occasions.
The book was brutally heartbreaking, but redemptive. Relationships were richly developed, emotions piqued and dropped - hallmarks of a good story.
One of my favorite things in literature is learning. If I learn from a book, I consider it valuable. Bite-sized foreign languages lessons will bolster a book's merit. This author taught me about the history, language, and geography of Afghanistan, and about the sport/hobby of kite flying/kite running. I've always thought that a person just bought a kite and flew it. I've never heard of coating the string in cut glass to cut down other kites.
The book has numerous other redeeming qualities that are likely to make it a classic read, but it does have some flaws. One thing that just kept annoying me toward the end of the book was the names of John/Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The first time they're mentioned, they're Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The next time, they're John and Betty Caldwell. WELL? Which are they?? Where was the editor on this one? No, it didn't affect the story, and it shouldn't affect me, but it did. I kept finding my thoughts drifting. Because they were never real characters, did the editor/author not find them integral to the plot? Did they have the same issues with Thomases and Johns that I have with Kamals and Kamirs? Perhaps they're unfamiliar with the names, and so it was easy to make the mistake? I admit, I was plagued. I thought about removing a star for it, but we only have 5 stars with which to work, so I didn't.
The next flaw is perhaps in my own ignorance, but I can't imagine Assef being in the Taliban. The tale describes him as blonde and blue-eyed. I don't imagine him being part of a hate-group that targets Americans as infidels if he so closely resembles one, but I have also heard that there are blonde and blue-eyed Afghans, so perhaps this is my own ignorance shining through. I have Afghan friends, but none of them has blonde hair, or blue eyes. Further, Assef is absolute evil from an age at which I'm not convinced that any child has such a developed sense of hatred, especially when we consider that, upon meeting his parents, we find them timid. Again, this could be my own ignorance of children outside of my own culture, but it's a bit tough to swallow. I didn't find it too difficult to suspend my belief, but there wasn't too much else in the tale that required such suspension.
Overall, the book has all of the ingredients needed to create a great tale - whether or not it required some belief-suspension and some editorial errors. When I complete a book in one sitting, I cannot convince myself that I didn't enjoy it. I must be true to the obvious and give it 5-stars.(less)
Mariawow I didn't even noticed that they changed the name to John..I just wanted to note that Assef is blonde because his mother is German
Jan 27, 2012 12:54am
Stephen KnappI caught the name thing. But only in retrospect it makes sense if the names were made up they might change.
As to Kamir and Kamal... It's u...moreI caught the name thing. But only in retrospect it makes sense if the names were made up they might change.
As to Kamir and Kamal... It's unfortunate that two similar sounding (at least to these yankee white bread ears) were used in this section. Kamal was an Afghani and one of the three bullies that were in on the rape of Hassan. He was then later raped himself and that's why he was so shell shocked in the truck. Kamir was one of the Pakistani's smuggling folks out of Afghanistan (I think it was his truck)(less)
updated
Jan 31, 2012 06:24pm
so, it starts off strong. it almost feels like a biography, that's how real it felt to me. i actually looked on the back of the cover to see if it was based on a true story or something.
one thing i noticed off the bat was hosseini's style of writing. it was an extremely easy read. i wasn't sure if this was so it would be accessible to a wider audience or so we could concentrate more on the story rather than the prose or what. what's ironic is that the na...moreSPOILERS AHEAD!!!
so, it starts off strong. it almost feels like a biography, that's how real it felt to me. i actually looked on the back of the cover to see if it was based on a true story or something.
one thing i noticed off the bat was hosseini's style of writing. it was an extremely easy read. i wasn't sure if this was so it would be accessible to a wider audience or so we could concentrate more on the story rather than the prose or what. what's ironic is that the narrator and protagonist is supposed to be a gifted writer. anyway, the writing wasn't the book's strongest point. honestly, the author of the inner elvis had much better descriptive writing.
however, his simplistic writing style didn't take away from the emotions triggered in the story. i was practically bawling at every emotional scene. i have to say, though, that the rape scene, which is the first dramatic scene in the novel, was the best one. i know that sounds horrible, but it's timing and significance was on point.
and that's where things kinda went downhill for me. even though i was caught up in the story, things became really cliche. amir and hassan are the two protagonists in the story. amir is the son of baba, a wealthy and admired male widower while hassan is the hare-lipped hazara, people who are regarded as scum of the earth according to afghani history. anyway, hassan and his father, ali, are servants for baba and amir, but they are viewed as family. it's a refreshing departure from what could easily be a cinderlla-type plot.
anyway, amir is this really smart, well-educated pansy who can't stand up for himself for shit and hassan always backs him up, even taking on 3 guys on his own. there's a little rivalry between the two boys, with amir constantly testing hassan's loyalty and scoffing at him for seeming to be such a sucker. but when shit turns serious, amir doesn't return the sentiment.
the year that amir won a kite flying competition, hassan takes off for the last kite and ends up being cornered by child-sociopath, assef, and his cronies. when hassan refuses to give up the fallen kite, assef rapes him in an alley and amir watches the whole thing from a hiding place because he's too afraid to jump in and protect his friend.
as i kept reading, cliches and implausible coincidences start popping up everywhere. it turns out that amir and hassan are half-brothers. (i think i saw that plot-twist in days of our lives once.) when amir goes back to afghanistan to save hassan's now-orphan son, that son is held captive by --guess who?-- none other than assef who has become part of the taliban. the novel climaxes with assef kicking amir's ass. and who saves amir? hassan's son! with a fucking slingshot! (hassan was skilled at that, too.) amir gets reconstructive surgery and ends up with a scar down his lip like hassan had when he had surgery for his hare-lip. good lord. then there was this brief encounter where amir comes across an old homeless guy who just happened to know amir's mother before she died giving birth to amir. how would that ever happen?
to be fair, it had a really good storyline. i still maintain that the first third was well executed. the beginning of the book stands its ground well, but that may have just made the rest of the book pale in comparison even more so. it almost felt like the author was desperately reaching for the audience's acceptance (it's his first novel). or he hurried through the rest of the book and needed to increase the tear-jerker factor exponentially by making me cry at every page to cover up the fact that he was running out of quality ideas. on a positive note, it might add more depth to an already mysterious and often feared culture in light of 9/11.
but when all is said and done, it's still an interesting read.
final word on the kite runner: i can't wait for the movie adaptation. hollywood would eat that shit up.
(less)
i had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book at first. i'm picky about characterization and overly sensitive to indulgent description. at first, i found the characters too one-dimensional. Baba never seemed to confront a situation that was morally complicated -- he never actually -wrestled- with bears. similarly, none of the other characters had must wrestling -- only broadly-painted blocks of emotional themes.
like most people [i think] i was sympathetic to Amir's thoughts and ...morei had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book at first. i'm picky about characterization and overly sensitive to indulgent description. at first, i found the characters too one-dimensional. Baba never seemed to confront a situation that was morally complicated -- he never actually -wrestled- with bears. similarly, none of the other characters had must wrestling -- only broadly-painted blocks of emotional themes.
like most people [i think] i was sympathetic to Amir's thoughts and reactions, but eventually i found him annoying -- pushed too far into caricature by the theme of his childhood. it was hard for me to put up with his dramatic descriptions of Soraya.
but in the end (where i've read a number of reviews that claim it resorts to fable) i liked it again. it still paints too easy a picture of the good guys and bad ones, but it complicates things. i liked the fable-like quality, as if Hosseini was hitting his groove in storytelling, where the hero gets to wrestle honestly--not just fail or succeed as a matter of trope.
i kept wondering how Hosseini felt about Amir. there seemed to be false notes in the early descriptions of his childhood, as if he was trying too hard to set up the lessons Amir would learn later.
i also found Assef to be a fascinating character -- clearly stating Hosseini's perspective on the nature of the Taliban. still quite broadly painted, but i think i have to believe on some level that people who are committing atrocities like this are using religion and politics to play out their cruel impulses.
i think part of the book's success was explaining Amir's reactions in a way that i suspect most people (most US readers) would understand. i think Amir and Hassan's relationship provides an good description about some of the dynamics of power and privilege. Amir sees Hassan as exotically good, "salt of the earth," and therefore better than him. he reacts with minor cruelty yet expects devotion. he feels guilt but can let it pass. he can (as Farid accuses later) always leave and go back to his walled mansion (literally or figuratively).
Hosseini seems to be at his best when (like Jhumpa Lahiri?) he's dealing with the complex yankings of modernism and tradition in national/cultural communities in the US. i'm looking forward to reading A Thousand Splendid Suns because there are (hopefully) real -women- in that one. i found it a little difficult to read all the absences of real women. the theme of the dead mother written in Amir's perspective, i guess, and a symptom of a few of the broad thematic sweeps that don't get complicated.
wow, that's a long review. if you read it, sorry for wasting so much of your time.(less)
I gave this book one star. Yes it is about Afghanistan, yes it contains some interesting and even well-written scenes, but all-in-all this book is maudlin and over the top and seems to refuse to end until every imaginable soap-opera-esque turn of plot has been explored and milked of every melodramatic possibility. Hosseini also has a penchant for the artlessly grotesque, and his scenes of child rape are jarring--made even more so by his seeming inability to integrate them meaningfully into the...moreI gave this book one star. Yes it is about Afghanistan, yes it contains some interesting and even well-written scenes, but all-in-all this book is maudlin and over the top and seems to refuse to end until every imaginable soap-opera-esque turn of plot has been explored and milked of every melodramatic possibility. Hosseini also has a penchant for the artlessly grotesque, and his scenes of child rape are jarring--made even more so by his seeming inability to integrate them meaningfully into the story.
Here I would like to differentiate between the emotionally powerful and the melodramatic. I started this book with high hopes, as it had come to me well recommended and I like kites. The beginning half shows much potential. Hosseini's descriptions of life in 1970's Kabul are often beautiful, as are his descriptions of the two boys playing with kites and reading the Shah-Nameh.
Midway, the book falls apart, and hard. Modern Afghanistan is a large canvas, and Hosseini tries to use as much of it as possible. In the broad sweep he fails. Yet the biggest disappointment for me was his completely predictible characterization. As the novel progresses, the characters become more and more like cartoons. The Kite Runner lacks any subtlety. Take, for instance, the character of boyhood bully who becomes a Taliban goon. Half-German? Nazi. Sodomite? Of course. Homosexual pediphile? We get it! He's the bad guy. Now shoot him in the face with a slingshot!!!
All in all, this book seems like a first attempt of someone who has a lot to say, but doesn't have the maturity or self-editing to say it well. For all of its bad parts, which unfortunately outweigh the good, I can see he has talent, and quite possibly potential. I'll read his next book.(less)
KathleenThank you for articulating the analysis that I was struggling to form in my brain. I felt exactly the same way about this book but my emotions were c...moreThank you for articulating the analysis that I was struggling to form in my brain. I felt exactly the same way about this book but my emotions were clouding my ability to break down my thoughts into words. It was a very emotionally affecting story, one that will stay with me, but at the same time was so melodramatic that it caused me to discount it in some ways. I appreciate what you have to say about the over-characterization as well. Thanks again for the insightful review!(less)
Aug 15, 2011 09:55pm
Regina Andreassen-vigoWell articulated! If this book is good literature then, we are doomed!
Sep 23, 2011 04:11am
I felt a bit apprehensive picking up The Kite Runner, considering all the buzz about it. (I don't trust overhyped books.) But, thankfully, it lived up to the publicity.
The story starts off set in Afghanistan, before the Taliban were in control and even before Russia began their campaign. It could have been set in the deep south of America prior to 1960 for that matter, or in Berlin right around the time Hitler reigned supreme, or perhaps more closely to regency England and colonial ...moreI felt a bit apprehensive picking up The Kite Runner, considering all the buzz about it. (I don't trust overhyped books.) But, thankfully, it lived up to the publicity.
The story starts off set in Afghanistan, before the Taliban were in control and even before Russia began their campaign. It could have been set in the deep south of America prior to 1960 for that matter, or in Berlin right around the time Hitler reigned supreme, or perhaps more closely to regency England and colonial India- the climate is the same.
Two little boys, one rich Pashtun, one of the servant class Hazara, two litle boys who shouldn't care about each other, yet they are friends- or as close to it as two opposing classes can be.
My favorite stories are the ones that delve into the issues that darken a good man's soul. I love watching characters work their way to salvation. Some who didn't like TKR, say that Amir, the narrator and main character, is too selfish to be likable. And it's true, in the beginning, he is a bit selfish- he is not a nice little boy at times. In fact, his selfishness hits a low point when he sees his best friend, a servant boy named Hassan who is as close to him as a brother, viciously attacked- and stands by doing nothing to stop it. (It was a tough thing to observe as a reader!)
Still, I believe in hanging with a character to see where the author takes them. Hosseini did a fine job of rescuing Amir, in my eyes. The hero's guilt-ridden conscience is what proves to me that he is in fact redeemable, after such an act of reprehensible cowardice. If Amir had moved on without a glance back, I would have thrown the book at the wall and not finished it.
Thankfully I didn't have to. Eventually Amir grows to manhood, moves to America though not knowing what happened to his old friend (and too guilty to think about it), he marries, becomes a successful writer and, through it all, never lets himself find the forgiveness his soul so desperately wants.
Don't fret, Amir gets the chance to go back to his homeland and make things right. And he does so in a way that broke my heart. (The last scenes had me in tears!!)
Other criticisms for this book have said that it's too clichéd, too made for movieland. I have to agree, at times it was predictable- the "big twist" I saw coming a mile away, and I frankly wanted to shake Amir for not seeing it as soon as I did! All I've got to say is, what's so wrong with that?!
Ok, I'll also agree with some other naysayers that say some of the plot resolutions for the characters were a tad convenient. But I seriously didn't notice it until I thought about it later- and read some of the reviews. I think I so wanted this to have a happy ending, I just went along with it.
Anyway, despite the fact that I'm in agreement on some of these issues,(a bit, just a bit), I think the good far outweighs the bad. This is the kind of tale that sticks with you, the kind that I obsess over, much like I did when I first got a hold of Les Miserables. In FACT, much of what I adore about Les Miz is in this one. (And the author references Les Miz briefly just to prove the point!) Both the stories share the search for the balance of justice and mercy, of familial love and hate, and also finding forgiveness and the strength to pick ourselves up when we find our faces in the mud of guilt and shame.
TKR is not a romance, but it is a love story. A love story between fathers and sons, and those we call brothers- of the heart, if not blood. Their story touches on the complexities of familial love and accurately shows that, at times, we can love and hate those we feel the closest too.
Oakland Airport. Finished my last book...what more can I say?
Okay, well I feel like a real jackass because I was, honestly, feeling pretty stupid reading this, hence the disclaimer above. It's like when I took the cover off the Da Vinci Code so nobody would know I was really reading it...but, um, holy cow this book was amazing. I was truly never bored, never skipped a passage, hung on every word, loved every character. I cried, really and truly cried during some of the sadder p...moreOakland Airport. Finished my last book...what more can I say?
Okay, well I feel like a real jackass because I was, honestly, feeling pretty stupid reading this, hence the disclaimer above. It's like when I took the cover off the Da Vinci Code so nobody would know I was really reading it...but, um, holy cow this book was amazing. I was truly never bored, never skipped a passage, hung on every word, loved every character. I cried, really and truly cried during some of the sadder parts (no spoilers--although it was interesting to find Afgans care about the endings of things and there's no such thing as a "spoiler.")
I knew nothing of this culture, which is probably sad, but I think I've taken great care to avoid it--I don't watch the news or anything, and I suppose it would be pretty absurd of me to think I've come to grips with the entire middle Eastern situation via a best seller (that's precisely why I hated people's thoughts on The Da Vinci Code--it made people who hadn't read a book in years suddenly want to talk about books, which should be a good thing but the book snob in me felt really offended by this, especially since there are other books, better books on the same subject matter--that book was really fun, I admit it, but seriously, it SUCKED all in all, let's be honest, it was sad to read, like if you had to hear some one with broken English recite The Lady of Shallot or something), but, I digress--anyway, it's just, for me, this was at least a bit enlightening (and I promise I'm not going to start soapboxing at coffee shops and thinking I'm an authority on Afgan culture now), and just...a fantastic read.
This was a flawless bit of story telling combined with a really helpful look into a culture that's very much in the public-eye and kind of reassuring, really human sort of approach to providing some insight into a culture I knew nothing about and didn't really intend to research. Now I know I will--this book was a stepping stone and at least got me interested and that's exactly why I love reading and books, because this is what education SHOULD be, you know? You get a taste and then you get running...KITE running....ha ha.
Okay, enough, but this book was amazing. I've never wanted to hug a child more than when I read this book. I NEED TO hug a child.(less)
deleted user
Very nice review, even with The DaVinci Code digression which was also good! :-D
Anyway, my own inner book snob hesitates to read best selle...moreVery nice review, even with The DaVinci Code digression which was also good! :-D
Anyway, my own inner book snob hesitates to read best sellers because if a zillion people love it, there must be something wrong with it. It's nice to hear that sometimes those zillion people get it right. I'll be putting The Kite Runner on my to-read list.(less)
Sep 22, 2007 02:06pm
Minhazul HoqueThe begigning of the book or liek the first 3 pages were boring. I was ready to give up the book. Until I found how cruel soldiers of Afghanisan were ...moreThe begigning of the book or liek the first 3 pages were boring. I was ready to give up the book. Until I found how cruel soldiers of Afghanisan were like. Amir's mother was raped by some Afghan soldiers and while the soldiers toldy Amir about this, tears dropped from his eyes and he couldn't take it anymore. He was only a little child and he had to go through so much.(less)
Jun 13, 2010 03:28pm
Terlalu berat peristiwa yang dialami oleh Hassan dan Amir pada usianya yang masih dini. Peristiwa yang membawa kisah persahabatan pada kenangan buruk di masa berikutnya. Terlalu berat bagi anak-anak seusia Amir untuk menjelaskan dan membuat keputusan ditengah doktrin Baba --sang ayah-- yang menekankan kehormatan dan kebanggaan. Permasalahan yang terlalu kompleks bagi Hassan saat diposisi sebagai pelayan...
Dan bagi Hassan, sungguh suatu sikap yang teguh dan tangguh karena tidak terser...moreTerlalu berat peristiwa yang dialami oleh Hassan dan Amir pada usianya yang masih dini. Peristiwa yang membawa kisah persahabatan pada kenangan buruk di masa berikutnya. Terlalu berat bagi anak-anak seusia Amir untuk menjelaskan dan membuat keputusan ditengah doktrin Baba --sang ayah-- yang menekankan kehormatan dan kebanggaan. Permasalahan yang terlalu kompleks bagi Hassan saat diposisi sebagai pelayan...
Dan bagi Hassan, sungguh suatu sikap yang teguh dan tangguh karena tidak terseret perlakuan kelam yang pernah dialaminya. Hassan tetap mempertahankan loyalitasnya terhadap "tuannya". Hassan berusaha menjalani kehidupannya, dia tidak lari dan akan terus menghadapinya. Bahkan memaafkan.
Kenangan akan dunia bermain yang indah. Dimana nikmatnya mengejar layang-layang, membacakan sebuah cerita, berkhayal menjadi tokoh idola dan bermain sepuasnya di padang rumput adalah anugrah. Anugrah yang seharusnya menjadi kekuatan bagi Amir dan Hassan untuk menapaki usianya.
Namun demikian bagi Afghanistan, potret anak-anak ibarat sisi buram dari dunia yang terkoyak oleh konflik yang berkepanjangan. Dunia anak-anak adalah dunia yang tidak terperhatikan. Orang dewasa tak lelah bertarung dengan keyakinannya, dan anak-anak adalah bahan bakar dan komoditasnya yang larut dalam mesiu.
Dan anak-anak yang tumbuh di masa perang, ibarat layang-layang putus tanpa kendali. Membawa kisahnya terbang bersama angin. Seperti kisahnya Amir dan Hassan. Meski diantara mereka mengakui dan rindu akan saat keakraban pada masa lalu, tapi berbeda dalam menyelesaikannya. Amir berusaha lari dari masa lalu, Hassan mengenangnya sebagai bagian dari kehidupannya yang dipenuhi kesetiaaan tanpa batas sebagai seorang hamba.
Salut buat Khaled Hosseini yang telah membuat kisah menyayat dan pemaparan detail pada tokohnya. Konflik yang terjalin melalui kontruksi penyampaian yang sempurna. Bahkan, aku sempat curiga novel yang dibuatnya adalah kisah pribadinya...(less)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.At first I really enjoyed the book. I had heard so much about it that finally I decided to start reading it. I always enjoy books which touch on childhood subjects. I believe our childhoods shape us to be who we become as grown ups. I believer the happy, sad and difficult moments lead us to our adult personalities. However, I was surprised when Amir didn't learn from his mistakes. Yes, his father was not the most loving and warm father around, but our parents are prone to fuck us up. There is no...moreAt first I really enjoyed the book. I had heard so much about it that finally I decided to start reading it. I always enjoy books which touch on childhood subjects. I believe our childhoods shape us to be who we become as grown ups. I believer the happy, sad and difficult moments lead us to our adult personalities. However, I was surprised when Amir didn't learn from his mistakes. Yes, his father was not the most loving and warm father around, but our parents are prone to fuck us up. There is no such thing or concept as a good parent; there are parents and bad parents, that's it. Amir's dad was not as loving as a parent should be. Amir had a roof over his head, was able to attend school and enjoy hot meals. While his half brother Hassan lived in a hut and was prejudiced against for being a Hazara. Although Hassan and Amir were best friends, this friendship made Amir feel insecure. Amir was aware that Hassan was a better person than him. Amir kneew that Hassan was loyal to him no matter what. He still tested this loyalty a few times which was unnecessary. Hassan was still there for him. On the day Assef raped Hassan and Amir watched, Hassan still brought the kite back for Amir. Amir watched as Assef raped his best friend and did nothing. This I understand somewhat. He was young, he was scared and who knows what Assef would have done to him had Amir come out in defense of Hassan. But to treat Hassan like crap because of the guilt he felt? That was ridiculous, good thing he couldn't sleep. Why didn't Amir tell his dad about it? They had a better relationship then. It was because Amir wanted his Baba all to himself. He knew that if he shared what he had seen his father would have gone back to ignoring him. Wouldn't anyone rather be ignored than let an asshole like Assef get away with rape? He would have been a better human being if he had sacrificed something, anything for Hassan. Hassan had saved his ass when Assef was ready to punch him with his metal knuckles. Assef should have punched Amir and broken his nose. Hassan goes into depression and when he decides to come out and play with Amir, Amir is an asshole to him. He is selfish and weak. Of course Hassan is the bigger person who constantly tries to find out what he has done wrong. Poor kid, living in a hut with his dad, serving his asshole friend Amir while Amir gives him the cold shoulder. Amir never deserved a friend like Hassan.
When Rahim Khan asks Amir to fetch Hassan's boy from the orophanage he hesitates. No, he doesn't hesitate he says NO right away. Anyone would think that this now thirty-eight year old man would have learned from his childhood mistakes. No, all he is thinking about is his comfortable life in the United States and of his wife. Asshole. He should have jumped at the opportunity of saving Sohrab. Again for selfish reasons it takes him a tantrum to decide to go looking for Sohrab. Although Assef is cruel and meant to be the villain of this novel, he at least is honest of who he is. Unlike Amir, who goes on defending his friend when it is easy, but tunrs his back on him when Hassan most needed him. Amir deserves to be punched in the face and loose his teeth and even more. That's as far as I've gotten. I hope Amir has the balls to save the boy.
I guess Amir is my least favorite protagonist of a novel.(less)
BecciI am in disagreement in that Amir was as insensitive as you write.
I also felt at first that Amir was looking out for himself and that his social...moreI am in disagreement in that Amir was as insensitive as you write.
I also felt at first that Amir was looking out for himself and that his social statis kept him from attending Hassan as a friend/brother.
As the story went on, I felt that Amir protected Hassan by ignoring him and his lesser statis.
I also believe that Amir didn't help Hassan during the rape because he knew he would be next in the brutality of Assef and his friends.
I believe that Amir later ignored Hassan because of his guilt in that he could do nothing to help.
Again, I felt that Hassan who was not only related to Amir but beholden to his family who graciously kept him and his mother with a roof and fed. He was totally dedicated to Amir not as a servant but through love and trust.
Hassan never doubted his position and comfortably lived with it.
In a country like Afghanistan and many other countries, this is not only a lifestyle but a culture that we as Americans must respect.
I loved the 'Kite Runner' as it gave me an insight of the people of Kabul, Afghanistan, a culture that we knew nothing about until the war in Iraq.
There are humans all over this Globe! They may not be like us but they are human none the less.(less)
May 04, 2008 04:57pm
CristinaI understand that there are many cultures and that they need to be respected. That's not going to take me away from being involved in the book and rel...moreI understand that there are many cultures and that they need to be respected. That's not going to take me away from being involved in the book and relating it to many other cultures in which the same things are expected and take place. That doesn't mean that I am not dissapointed in Amir as a person.. of course people like that are human, those are all human errors. However, I stil hold the right to criticize those errors and feel bad for someone like Hassan. I get upset at many things, and I have to react. Although it is fiction, I feel a connection to The Kite Runner and to most of the literature I choose to read. And, if a character pisses me off I will say so and enjoy it because I know him and the plot all the better. As a teacher that's what I want my students to feel as they read literature. I want them to get involved in the story, to live in somone else's shoes through reading. That's why I love reading.. because I can do anything while I do that!(less)
May 04, 2008 05:27pm
BecciCristina, I meant no insult. As yourself, I was voicing my opinion.
I suppose I might have misinterpreted your voice on the subject.
Every ...moreCristina, I meant no insult. As yourself, I was voicing my opinion.
I suppose I might have misinterpreted your voice on the subject.
Every aspect aside, we both loved the book.
Thank You!(less)
May 04, 2008 05:39pm
This is a largely uncritical review, but I found it to be a beautiful, haunting, powerful tale. The Kite Runner is about a young boy, Amir, growing up in a wealthy part of Kabul, Afghanistan, the only son of a popular entrepenuer, who betrays his best friend and later has a chance to redeem himself. As his father's best friend, Kahim, says, "There's a way to be good again."
Amir grows up with Hassan, the Hazara servant boy whose father, Ali, grew up with Amir's father. Hass...moreThis is a largely uncritical review, but I found it to be a beautiful, haunting, powerful tale. The Kite Runner is about a young boy, Amir, growing up in a wealthy part of Kabul, Afghanistan, the only son of a popular entrepenuer, who betrays his best friend and later has a chance to redeem himself. As his father's best friend, Kahim, says, "There's a way to be good again."
Amir grows up with Hassan, the Hazara servant boy whose father, Ali, grew up with Amir's father. Hassan's mother left as soon as he was born, and he endured taunts and bullying all his life, especially for being a Hazara, which I've never heard of before but I gather it's like being a Jew in Nazi Germany, only with no money or education. So maybe it's more like the black slaves? Anyway, Amir knows he's a coward, he wants to write stories, not fight back against the likes of local, half-German tough boy Assef, who idolises Hitler. He knows his father is disappointed in him, and is jealous when his dad ("Baba") shows affection and preferential treatment toward Hassan.
Hassan is also the best kite runner in the city. The boys play a kite-flying game in winter; the strings are coated in tar and cut glass, and they deftly fly them so that their kite cuts the strings of other boys' kites. The winner is the last kite in the air, and extra kudos to you if you run down the last kite to be cut.
Amir wins the kite flying tournament one year, and sends Hassan off after the last cut kite. Hassan, devoted and loyal to Amir, runs off, saying over his shoulder, "For you, a thousand times over." Winning the tournament means everything to Amir, for Baba will love him now. But Amir witnesses something horrible horrible horrible, and does nothing, says nothing. Even when he learns that Hassan knows he saw what happened, Amir does nothing. He chooses his father's attention and love over Hassan. Because Hassan's presence reminds Amir of what happened, he can't stand being around him anymore, and finds a way to get rid of both Hassan and Ali.
Amir is a very interesting character. As a boy, aware of his own weaknesses, he is not very likeable, though as a literary character his personality is so well written, his first-person voice edged with a touch of snobby, upper-class arrogance. He is embarrassed by Hassan: while he likes to play with him, when Amir's other friends are around Hassan isn't invited to join in, and Amir never calls him his friend. When Amir is older, he knows that Hassan was the better person, the stronger and braver and kinder, more generous soul. But Amir is just a child, and one with high expectations of himself, let alone his father's.
There were many things to love about this book. First of all, it wasn't set in the 50s!! It starts out in the 70s, when Amir is about 12, and follows him through to 2002, about a year after 9/11. It is very eye-opening in regards to Afghanistan, a country where, frankly, very few of us know much about. The Kite Runner reveals how relatively modern their lives were before the Russians entered the scene, and how the Taliban were welcomed at first because they got rid of the Russians. After that, Hosseini is very unforgiving towards the Taliban, and paints a very black picture of them. When Amir has to return from America to Afghanistan, the depictions of the Taliban executing adulterers and threatening people for cheering too loudly at sports events, is frightening. What happens to Amir when he encounters an old foe is even scarier. Yet this is not a morbid book. There is a vein of silver running all through it: hope. The book ends with hope, a small nugget of it, a private, personal hope, but important nonetheless.
Hosseini shows the human side of Afghanistan, not the poppy-growing, fanatical side. He paints a picture of Kabul full of Mulberry and pomegranate trees, green grass and playing fields and parks, markets full of the spicy aroma of kabobs, and a tightly-knit community no less family-oriented than the Greeks or Italians. I learnt about some Afghan customs, I even learnt the meaning of some words, like Inshallah ("God willing", if my memory serves me correctly - I don't have the book with me).
This is a sad tale, for what was lost and what was - and is - endured, but also a warm one, for the colourful characters, the solidarity, the determination. Ultimately a story of survival and redemption, The Kite Runner was thoroughly enjoyable, a quick, not particularly challenging read, but one that challenges our assumptions and prejudices.(less)
Minhazul HoqueVery good review. I always had a question about what Haazara meant. I got all sorts of definitions about it but I couldn't find the most concrete defi...moreVery good review. I always had a question about what Haazara meant. I got all sorts of definitions about it but I couldn't find the most concrete definition. Do you think you have one definition formulated? If so I want you to tell me.(less)
Jun 13, 2010 02:57pm
ShannonI don't have a definitive understanding of the word, just an understanding based on context sorry. You might want to ask someone who speaks the langua...moreI don't have a definitive understanding of the word, just an understanding based on context sorry. You might want to ask someone who speaks the language?(less)
Jun 13, 2010 03:06pm
What a powerful story. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did... but I really did. I got so involved in this book that my emotions were going haywire. Not just feeling happy and sad as you do with most books, but feeling anxious and angry and dissappointed. Everything these characters felt I began to feel. That's definitely the mark of a great novel and a great writer.
One thing I think this novel really does is shed light on a situation we really don't know all...moreWhat a powerful story. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did... but I really did. I got so involved in this book that my emotions were going haywire. Not just feeling happy and sad as you do with most books, but feeling anxious and angry and dissappointed. Everything these characters felt I began to feel. That's definitely the mark of a great novel and a great writer.
One thing I think this novel really does is shed light on a situation we really don't know all that much about. It highlights a country we only see in stereotypical clips on the news, skewing our perception and making us think only of one type of world. The Kite Runner puts the world we either never saw or don't see into view. We think of Kabul and Afghanistan only as he writes it in the second half of the novel, most of us have never even thought about it in the way it's portrayed in the first half. And that's how Aghanistan was for the longest time.
I think one of the most amazing things about this novel was the friendship between Hassan and Amir. It wasn't what you would think with, "I don't care that he's in another race I'll defend my friend no matter what." It was a real friendship against the odds. He didn't make it cute or fake, Hosseini made it raw and how it would really be in the world where a certain race is persecuted.
The characters are also all well-developed and three demensional. Never once did I see a character that was just there to further the story along and then left, without a background or history to them. Every single character gracing that page had a soul and had a past.
As usual there's so much more I want to say about this book, but for something this good you'll just have to read it yourself. Trust me, it may sound like something you really don't think you'd care for, but you'll be surprised how much Hosseini's writing and characters pull you in. Soon you'll find yourself very grateful you listened to me and picked up this book. Seriously, this book is worth your time.(less)
I lay in the dark the night Rahim Khan called and traced with my eyes the parallel silver lines on the wall made by moonlight pouring through the blinds. At some point, maybe just before dawn, I drifted to sleep. And dreamed of Hassan running in the snow, the hem of his green chapan dragging behind him, snow crunching under his black rubber boots. He was yelling over his shoulder: For you, a thousand times over!
There's nothing to tell...
Story that almost everyone knows about.
...moreI lay in the dark the night Rahim Khan called and traced with my eyes the parallel silver lines on the wall made by moonlight pouring through the blinds. At some point, maybe just before dawn, I drifted to sleep. And dreamed of Hassan running in the snow, the hem of his green chapan dragging behind him, snow crunching under his black rubber boots. He was yelling over his shoulder: For you, a thousand times over!
There's nothing to tell...
Story that almost everyone knows about.
Story about Amir and his friendship with his devoted servant, Hassan.
Story about the kite flyer and the kite runner.
Story that breaks my heart in so many different ways.
Story that can not easily washed away from my mind.
Story about love, jealousy, turmoil country, betrayal, redemption, retribution, acceptance and ultimately...forgiveness
There is a way to be good again... and of course, the haunting lines.. For you, a thousand times over!
Begitu beres baca bukunya langsung disambung nonton filmnya. Gak tau kenapa, perasaan filmnya terkesan kurang greget, jadi gregetan sendiri sambil grogotin jagung rebus nontonnya (abis 5 tongkol!)
Mending baca bukunya deh.(less)
Ia telah membuat saya menangis.
Menangis bombay orang bilang.
Saya menemukannya di satu siang, ditengah kekesalan baru ditinggal kereta untuk menuju kota sebelah. Akhirnya memutuskan untuk membunuh waktu di toko buku stasiun. Disanalah saya bertemu dengannya. Saya memutar-mutarnya untuk melihat lebih dekat, tapi kemudian meletakkannya kembali setelah melihat stiker kecil bertuliskan 10.99 Euro.
Ia menjadi buku mahal yang terlupakan.
Saya menemukannya kembali...moreIa telah membuat saya menangis.
Menangis bombay orang bilang.
Saya menemukannya di satu siang, ditengah kekesalan baru ditinggal kereta untuk menuju kota sebelah. Akhirnya memutuskan untuk membunuh waktu di toko buku stasiun. Disanalah saya bertemu dengannya. Saya memutar-mutarnya untuk melihat lebih dekat, tapi kemudian meletakkannya kembali setelah melihat stiker kecil bertuliskan 10.99 Euro.
Ia menjadi buku mahal yang terlupakan.
Saya menemukannya kembali empat hari yang lalu. Setelah mengantar teman di airport Schipol,masih dalam rangka membunuh waktu menunggu kereta selanjutnya. Tapi kali ini saya melakukan kesalahan, saya membaca halaman pertama, yang berarti saya telah terkena jampi-jampi yang harus menamatkan buku ini. Saya keluar dari toko buku itu dengan plastik di tangan dan 10.99 Euro lebih miskin.
Saya membacanya di stasiun, di atas kereta api, dan di jalan menuju parkiran. Ketika saya bertemu orang pertama yang saya kenal, saya menurunkan buku ini dan mengatakan. “This is good, very good”. Saya kembali menekuri halaman-halamannya.
Ia telah membuat saya menangis.
Menangis bombay orang bilang.
Ia tidak bercerita mengenai kisah cinta tragis atau perjalanan antar galaksi yang mengherankan. Ia bercerita mengenai kisah sederhana, sangat sederhana. Mengenai persahabatan antara dua orang anak manusia yang berbeda ras dan berbeda kedudukan. Antara Hassan Jan dan Amir Agha dilatarbelakangi sejarah panjang bangsa Afghan. Dimulai dari sebelum pendudukan Russia hingga terusirnya Taliban dari bumi Afghanistan.
Malam ini saya menghabiskan waktu di kamar untuk menyaksikan pertandingan layang-layang di daerah wazir akbar khan, bagian dari kota Kabul. Anak laki-laki dengan goresan-goresan berdarah di tangan dari gesekan dengan tali layangan berjejer di atas atap-atap rumah mereka yang datar. Layang-layang dengan warna-warna terang menghiasi langit biru Afghanistan.
Saya membalik halaman terakhir dari buku itu. Meneliti sampul belakangnya. Seketika saya mengelupasi stiker harga 10.99 euro. Rasanya tak pantas ia diberi harga. Karena ia mampu membuat saya menangis, dan di dalam dunia amir agha, satu tetes air mata ditukar dengan mutiara.
Ia telah membuat saya menangis.
Menangis bombay orang bilang.
"And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good."
What is there to say about this novel, 2006's reading group book of the year, that hasn't already been said?
The Kite Runner is a wonderful story. It's captivating, it's far-reaching, and it covers innumerable themes: guilt, family, friendship, atonement...the list could go on and on. Outside of being an interesting narrative and a pretty good piece of literature...here's why...more"And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good."
What is there to say about this novel, 2006's reading group book of the year, that hasn't already been said?
The Kite Runner is a wonderful story. It's captivating, it's far-reaching, and it covers innumerable themes: guilt, family, friendship, atonement...the list could go on and on. Outside of being an interesting narrative and a pretty good piece of literature...here's why it was important to me.
First...it's difficult for me to read, at length, about the history and current state of political turmoil in other countries (I am ashamed to say). It's not that I'm not interested or empathetic, or just too selfish to keep myself up-to-date...I truly want to be an informed, involved "citizen of the world". But for some reason...possibly because of how complex situations can be, requiring knowledge and back-knowledge of places and events...I'm just not naturally drawn to reading and retaining this particular type of information (again--shameful).
But stories like "The Kite Runner", where the author actually puts a name and a face to some of the injustices being carried out world-wide...they really make me more interested and inspired to educate myself on past and current situations i.e. life in Afgahnistan pre and post-Russian invasion and how the Taliban came to gain power there, as well as the class struggle that exists between different races--and how groups like the Shia Hazaras have come to be persecuted.
Books like this are also important in that they put my day to day worries and frustrations into perspective. They remind me of the way of life that I take for granted, and make me want to complain of absolutely nothing. Khaled Hosseini has written a fabulous tribute to his country and people, and a touching reminder to men and women world-wide of just how horrific life under an extremist regime can be.
AlisonHi, Amy. Thanks for the comments. I am about 80 pages in. I can already see that it is a sad story. I was wondering...why did I pick this? But SO ...moreHi, Amy. Thanks for the comments. I am about 80 pages in. I can already see that it is a sad story. I was wondering...why did I pick this? But SO many people have said such good things about it...I feel like there will be some redemption ultimately. (less)
Jul 06, 2008 04:53pm
MichaelAlison, I liked your trivia question on Portrait of a Lady, since I knew the answer, LOL.... which took me to your profile, which took me to your book...moreAlison, I liked your trivia question on Portrait of a Lady, since I knew the answer, LOL.... which took me to your profile, which took me to your books list, which took me to this review. I don't give a damn about The Kite Runner, which I've started twice and never got past the third page. And I'm not apologizing for it, neither! It sounds to me like you had to work pretty hard at liking this one. (less)
Apr 23, 2009 03:16pm
Minhazul HoqueAll Amir wanted to do when he went back to Afghanistan was to redeem himself. His redemption was to father Hassan's son and treat him like he is his o...moreAll Amir wanted to do when he went back to Afghanistan was to redeem himself. His redemption was to father Hassan's son and treat him like he is his own child. Hassan passed away. Hassan's wife gave birth to a beautiful and brilliant child. He is taken by the Taliban and also raped their. It was really sad how children so young Afghanistan were victim of cruelty.(less)
Jun 13, 2010 03:18pm
Recommends it for: adults interested in literary fiction, psychology, or international politics
This novel fascinated me. It's a great example of the power of a good story. The author was a rookie, and he didn't yet have a solid command of the craft, but he certainly had something important to say. There are some big spoilers ahead, so if you're planning to read this one, you might want to stop here.
I enjoyed the rich portrait of Afghani culture, both at home and in exile in the US. The story's time-frame before and after the Soviet invasion lets an American reader underst...moreThis novel fascinated me. It's a great example of the power of a good story. The author was a rookie, and he didn't yet have a solid command of the craft, but he certainly had something important to say. There are some big spoilers ahead, so if you're planning to read this one, you might want to stop here.
I enjoyed the rich portrait of Afghani culture, both at home and in exile in the US. The story's time-frame before and after the Soviet invasion lets an American reader understand better what's been happening behind the headlines of the past thirty years, and I appreciated a glimpse into a world I know little about.
The strongest and most memorable part of the book is the character of the narrator's father, Baba. He's a rich, stubborn, secular Afghani who swigs whiskey and makes his own rules. His strengths and flaws propel the entire acr of the story and dominate the narrator's life. What a complex and vivid force! I would teach this book for no other reason than to share Baba with my students. Beyond the father-son relationship, the story is built upon several other important and complicated male relationships. These involve deep, tangled emotional bonds of a sort rarely explored in contemporary American novels.
But this is where the story's strength becomes a weakness. The first two-thirds of the novel reads as realism, but in the final act, when the protagonist returns to war-torn Afghanistan, the narrative demands quickly dominate what had been a character-driven story. There are too many coincidences, too many mirrored events, too many father-son doublings, and the bad guys from childhood return as grown-up forces of evil that can only be read allegorically. The symbolic load becomes too heavy for the individual characters to support.
I was especially disturbed by the time I was presented with a second victim of child sexual abuse -- the son whose father had been brutally assaulted in the early part of the book. At that point I realized that the story had shifted into a fable of a country/people who had been systematically raped over two generations. This is a valid story and an important one to tell, but within the aesthetic parameters of this particular novel, the allegorical demands at the end almost crush the carefully constructed story about personal atonement. It doesn't help that the author shouts out to the reader several times, "See! The sins of the fathers are visited on the sons!" In the hands of a more experienced writer, realistic and allegorical threads can strengthen one another, but the human story should be primary, with the symbolic motifs worked into the fabric of the story rather than slapped on top.
Where are the damn editors these days? I keep stumbling over fiction that is almost, but not quite, done. Half-baked novels are either exposed on mountainsides or rushed to market with massive promotional expense, and the decisions seem completely arbitrary. Why not spend a little more time and money polishing these works first? This fine book from a first-time novelist would have been far more powerful if the final section had been carefully revised. That said, I still think it's well worth reading, and I'm looking forward to watching the film adaptation.
I posted these comments to other reviews, which I found both fair and unflinching.
Except for certain details (the kites, e.g.) you really could transpose this story to any hot spot, including, say, hurricane-stricken New Orleans. I picked up this book hoping for an Afghanistan-based novel that would achieve, say, what Italo Svevo did with Trieste as a backdrop, or Pramoedeya Anta Toer with Indonesia, or Nuruddin Farah with Somalia, or Don de Lillo's White Noise does with middle Ameri...moreI posted these comments to other reviews, which I found both fair and unflinching.
Except for certain details (the kites, e.g.) you really could transpose this story to any hot spot, including, say, hurricane-stricken New Orleans. I picked up this book hoping for an Afghanistan-based novel that would achieve, say, what Italo Svevo did with Trieste as a backdrop, or Pramoedeya Anta Toer with Indonesia, or Nuruddin Farah with Somalia, or Don de Lillo's White Noise does with middle America or even what the flawed but compelling God of Small Things did for Kerala. But the bland humanistic, "We Are the World" universalism of Kite Runner really disappointed.
It's maudlin and melodramatic. The story pumps along, and it is about Afghanistan, but gosh, every possible soap-operatic turn of events, cardboard emotions, and a rather wan narrative map really disappointed me. I read it when it came out largely because of the Afghan connection, and while there was a lot of straightforward information that was interesting as a novel this book felt like it had been plotted out in a workshop and then each plot point milked before a studio audience from the suburbs. Midkult at its blandest.
I agree in part with the reviewer who sees the success of the book as an artifact of armchair cultural tourism. I don't really have such a huge problem with that (books set in/written from places other than white Euroamerica) in the abstract though I do think this book, with its rather anodyne approach to human motivations, is just as easily about suburban life in the developed world, with a few details changed. But the Sopranos has changed even that kind of judgement, and one could argue that (leaving aside The Tale of Genji) the novel form itself is a neocolonial artifact exported from the West. This may be a good thing, as the novel entails both the private space of reading and, as narrative structure, some sense of individual autonomy, no matter how conditional--both of which I am all for.(less)
This book is a clumsy exercise in melodrama, consistently given a free pass for its topical setting that allows affluent Westerners to feel righteous empathy and solidarity with cliched archetypes. The underlying literary themes in this book - loyalty, family, regret - are all dealt with infinitely better by better authors in better books. Coupled with the fact that the Kite Runner's unweildy prose has all the grace of a highschool newspaper article, it's a wonder how people keep praising it.
...moreThis book is a clumsy exercise in melodrama, consistently given a free pass for its topical setting that allows affluent Westerners to feel righteous empathy and solidarity with cliched archetypes. The underlying literary themes in this book - loyalty, family, regret - are all dealt with infinitely better by better authors in better books. Coupled with the fact that the Kite Runner's unweildy prose has all the grace of a highschool newspaper article, it's a wonder how people keep praising it.
Frankly it says more about our need for self congratulation over how understanding and enlightened we are than it does any merit of the book.
The literary value here is vastly lacking compared to the headline news appeal. This is not a book that will not stand the test of time. It pulls together everything that's BIG HOT NEWS right now but at its core is little more than a shadow of a real literary achievement. This is the Spice Girls of books.
(less)
I read this book after it seemed like everyone else around me read it and went on and on about how great it is. It's absolutely one of the most overrated books of all time, right up there with the da vinci code. honestly, i felt i was reading the plot of a (particularly bad) bollywood film the entire time. heavy-handed symbolism, cliches galore, one-dimensional characters, ludicrous situations, melodramatic dialogue, a thoroughly unlikable protagonist, there was no end to the book's flaws. the ...moreI read this book after it seemed like everyone else around me read it and went on and on about how great it is. It's absolutely one of the most overrated books of all time, right up there with the da vinci code. honestly, i felt i was reading the plot of a (particularly bad) bollywood film the entire time. heavy-handed symbolism, cliches galore, one-dimensional characters, ludicrous situations, melodramatic dialogue, a thoroughly unlikable protagonist, there was no end to the book's flaws. the only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is for the nice details about the bazaars etc he soemetimes put in. if i want that, though, i can just as easily pick up the rough guide to afghanistan, which i bet makes for more intelligent reading.(less)
I liked this book a lot. Due to the uncomfortable nature of the story told, I'll probably never read it again, but I'm glad that I did read it once. I saw it as the story of one not very likeable boy growing up in a soon to be war torn region and his eventual stuggle for redemption.
I was quite suprised to see how popular some of the negative reviews of this book were and I'd like to comment on a few of the comments they contained.
One condemnatory critic said "This ...moreI liked this book a lot. Due to the uncomfortable nature of the story told, I'll probably never read it again, but I'm glad that I did read it once. I saw it as the story of one not very likeable boy growing up in a soon to be war torn region and his eventual stuggle for redemption.
I was quite suprised to see how popular some of the negative reviews of this book were and I'd like to comment on a few of the comments they contained.
One condemnatory critic said "This is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly." Ah, if only that were truer. In a study done not long ago, Over half of American adult men when asked, admitted to having read NO books in the last year. Personally as a white American this book made me grateful that I grew up where I did and once again reminded me of how good I've had it and how little I really know about life outside these insular, isolationist, United States.
Another critic claimed that this book "...portrays Afghanistan as backward" Personally I thought that it portrayed it as a war torn, deeply wounded country that was at one time a bit like our ante-bellum south. It was made quite clear that we saw pre soviet Afghanistan through the eyes of a doubly priviliged class, the rich child. Another critic claimed "The members of the servant and poorer classes are consistently portrayed as saintly, absurdly self-sacrificing, one-dimensional characters." Yes, that's true. But the viewpoint is a that of an overpriviliged, rich, selfish child. Given the ante-bellum south atmosphere that our protagonist sees, it's a wonder that the epithet "uncle Tom" wasn't used. Finally one critic complained "The book fails exactly where it most needs to succeed - in the depiction of the Taliban." Personally, I felt that while that need may be great, I didn't see that as the purpose of this book.
However, overall I saw this book as one man's journey toward redemption against a background of a troubled heritage. I sometimes recall doing things as a child that now makes me wonder about myself, and while I like to think I've become a better human being, I sometimes shudder at the savage, thoughtless child that was once under this skin. For the personal perspective alone, I think this book is a worthwhile, if sometimes uncomfortable, read. If you let it, it may make you a better person.
(less)
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of ...moreKhaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.
While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, in March of 2001. In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and has since become an international bestseller, published in 48 countries. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May of 2007. Currently, A Thousand Splendid Suns is published in 40 countries. Khaled has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation. The concept for The Khaled Hosseini Foundation was inspired by a trip to Afghanistan Khaled made in 2007 with the UNHCR. He lives in northern California.(less)
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![The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns [Two Vol, Each Numbered And Signed By The Author, In Slipcase In Shrinkwrap]](http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg "The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns [Two Vol, Each Numbered And Signed By The Author, In Slipcase In Shrinkwrap]")
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