The Kite Runner
by Khaled HosseiniThe Kite Runner is one of the most compelling novels I’ve read in a long time. Khaled Hosseini has written a simple story — no twists, turns or rollercoaster rides, few surprises and little mystery. Beginning with the first sentence I wanted to slow down to better absorb the beauty of the words. I’m in awe that English is not Hosseini’s first language and this is his first novel.

Set against the backdrop of Afghanistan, this is a story of friendship, class, culture, betrayal and redemption. It is a tale of friendship between two boys, Amir and Hassan, beginning with the calm before the Russian invasion and continuing through the reign of terror of the Taliban. Afghanistan is lovingly brought to life and given beauty, depth and history through Hosseini’s account. He manages to educate us without being preachy. He accomplishes this with characters whose lives resonate long after the novel is finished. It’s written so convincingly, I had to remind myself it wasn’t a memoir.
Amir, the son of a wealthy Pashtun businessman, lives in a mansion in Kabul with his father. Amir’s mother, a university professor, died while giving birth to him. His father’s servant, Ali, and son, Hassan, live in a mud hut on the same property. They are Hazaras, shunned lower class Afghanis who are Shi’a, persecuted for centuries by Sunni Muslims. Although Amir and his father are Sunni, they treat Ali and Hassan like part of the family.
Hassan, like Amir, is motherless. As babies, he and Amir were breast-fed by the same wet nurse. Amir’s father says that makes them like brothers. Yet, their class and religious differences dictate that they cannot truly be friends. Hassan, born a year after Amir, worships him. In fact, Hassan’s first word was Amir. He would do anything for him. But Amir is not as loving toward Hassan. Amir perceives that his father likes Hassan better and he’s jealous of any attention shown Hassan. Amir often takes out his anger on his friend through trickery and deceit. It doesn’t matter to Hassan. To him, Amir can do no wrong. When Amir starts school and learns to read, Hassan is left behind. He waits for Amir to come home and read to him, never resenting him for his privileged life.
Amir, an artistic, sensitive boy, perceived by his father as cowardly, wants to make him proud. He thinks he is a disappointment to his strong, powerful father. He also believes his father blames him for his mother’s death. When the annual kite-fighting tournament begins, Amir is determined to win. But just when he thinks he’s finally won his father’s respect, an incident occurs which damages his self-esteem. The novel opens with, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid, overcast day in the winter of 1975." That incident is the defining moment in Amir’s life, one that will remain with him for the next thirty years.
When the story moves to America, it loses steam. I would have liked to see more tension and conflict. It picks up again when, years later, Amir returns to Afghanistan at the request of his father’s friend. In Hosseini’s skilled hands, life in Afghanistan is more interesting than life in San Francisco.
Today I read an article in the Times about Kabul. For the first time it was no longer the war-ravaged, godforsaken place I’d always pictured when reading about Afghanistan. In my mind, it was the country Hosseini remembered from his childhood.