The Kite Runner

 The Kite Runner

“For you a thousand times over!”

The novel, set in Afghanistan in the 1970s and then in America, tells us the story of Amir, the young narrator of this book, who hails from an affluent background. Amir always yearned for his father’s affections, he wanted his Baba to be proud of him, but Baba thought some traits were missing in his only son. So he found his joy in playing with Hassan, the son of Amir’s servant. Amir spends his twelve years of life cheerfully until that frigid overcast winter day of 1975, which completely changes his entire life.

After a few years, Afghanistan’s joy of freedom and peace comes to a violent end, as the Russians evade a bloodless coup in April 1978, and Amir and Baba are forced to leave their beloved homeland and seek refuge in America. The vastness and the impeccable beauty of America let Amir forget everything about his past that has haunted him for several years. Life moves on but the weight of his past and the sins he committed still don’t let Amir breathe freely, and he always lies awake during nights, not engulfed by sleep, instead by the fleeting images of that winter of 1975.

 In the summer of 2001, almost twenty-six years later, Amir received a phone call from Rahim Khan, Baba’s business partner, and Amir’s mentor for writing. Rahim Khan requested Amir to come and see him in Peshawar as it was his dying wish. But Amir knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan at the other end of the line, it was his past of unatoned sins. before Rahim Khan, hung up, he said something, almost like an afterthought,’ Come, there is a way to be good again.’

 The plot of this book is so powerful because of the myriad of emotions one gets to experience with each flip of the page. Family, friendship, brotherhood, betrayal, salvation and redeeming love are described with such nuanced writing, that anyone reading this novel will be entirely immersed in the story, and probably will experience what Amir felt after finally knowing the truth of his past life. I highly recommend this book to my fellow book lovers out there, this profound work of literature will surely reside in your hearts for a long time.

 

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