The Kite Runner
When you think your life is hard, you read this book and you will feel your life is okay.
The Kite Runner is the first piece of work from Khaled Hosseini, published in 2003. (The year, my brother was born and I was 5 years old.) Story revolves around two friends from the same home but of ddifferent statures of Kabul, and how their lives evolve through the times of war, refuge, finding homes & lastly how the bond between the friends stay (I know this book has been ot a long time, but many haven’t read, so not spoiling it for them, incase they stumble here. I see you guys and I got you!)
Personal relationship with this book:
It took me a long time for me to finish this book as the story takes a huge, dark turn after what happens to the sweetest, humblest, and the kindest boy ever written.
I could not take it.
I left the book to be covered in dust in my shelf for months, till I read the part happening to Hassan, and what Amir does, and how that guilt he must always carry. But, what shocked me even more, was how morally kind was Hassan, to never bring it up and silently leave eventhough being it hard for their tribe of people elsewhere.
However, with the curiousity to finish this book and to know what happens further, I picked it up again, dusted it off and started reading again. What made me stop reading the book was only 50% of the tragedy that can happen to Hassan.
However, I am glad I finished this book.
It made me realize to live a good life, it takes strong will and might even be a short life, but a one worth living.
5 things I liked about this book:
The book was raw. How the scenes, environment was desccribed really pulls your imagination to make you believe you are in that scene with the characters watching silently, hearingg all around and noticing every details, without blinking. (Something that I am trying to learn in my writing.)
The characters, and how well they are written. From Hassan, Amir, to father, friends of father, from Soraya, to their father, and family, and lastly, the family of taxi driver, Farid who takes Amir around Afghanistan to find Sohrab.
The cultural showcase. The tribes, The food,, the attires, the class of people, and many more of different regions of Aghanistan.
The quick pace. (300+ page book, and it still feels rushed. Personal opinion.)
The open-ended redemption. Khaled didn’t give a happy ending but a possible beginning of a happy ending. This comes to say, that not everything needs closures and in writing especially, it can come to be open (what a relief as a writer😅. It leaves the pressure to make endings good). However, it depends on the stories too. This one needed no closure, per say, the ending what was given was enough to make us understand what happens next.
Favourites lines from the book:
For you, A thousand times over.
There is a way to be good again.
Better to get hurt by the truth, than be comforted with a lie.
The dessert weed lives on, but the flower of spring blooms and wilts.
The morning sun to my yelda.
One line that is a known one but well placed is ‘Zindagi Migzara’ (life goes on).
Final take:
Definitely a page turner & an emotional ride. It really captured & brings the emotions buried deep to the top and flow heavily. This kind of stories fills me with satisfaction that after all that is bad happens,a hope of a small good is what keeps us alive and the same thing in this book, kept me hooked.