With the quest for redemption and journey of self-forgiveness very prominent in The Kite Runner, one can’t help but get lost within the pages. The book is about a young boy Amir that sought-after the love and attention of a father quite desperately. Amir different from all other boys that played and had a taste for sports, was burdened with passion for books and poetry. Amir had the pure loyalty and love of his servant’s child, Hassan and together they were ‘The Sultans of Kabul’. Hassan relentlessly protected Amir and would do anything for him, such fierce love and loyalty I could only consider as dangerous. However within Amir the fruit of jealously was growing and coupled with cowardice, it did nothing but harm. When Hassan undergoes a haunting experience, committed by the very same bullies Hassan protected Amir from, the ‘Sultans of Kabul’ are never the same and are in for a very rude awakening. Painful betrayal lurks, as the country falls into dangerous turmoil that seems to last forever. Will Amir ever find peace at heart? The book awakens the readers mind to the evils within us and teaches us about kindness in a painful and brutal way with absolutely no sugar coating on the realities of life and darkness of the past of a country. The book grips at your soul with the raw and powerful emotions that Hosseini conveys throughout the book (can’t lie, I shed tears a numerous amount of times). One surely can’t miss a lesson in this book, whether about the history of Afghanistan or one of personal value. I definitely recommend the book, it is an amazing read.

Shakinar Mutulili

Rating: 5 Recommend