Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very sad book. I didn’t like the main character. There were a lot of dark moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have mixed feelings about this book, but I want to give it a fair review. To be honest, the first third of it made me so angry, and I thought if the whole book was going to be like that I’d give it one star. Amir frustrated me, and the way he behaved toward Hassan was unspeakable. I figured there had to be some reason this book is so loved by people, so I kept reading.
The middle of the book was better; it was refreshing to see Amir and Baba’s day-to-day life and the story of the romance with Soraya was sweet. Baba was humanized in this section, and Amir had a chance to grow up and stop being such a spoiled child.
The final third was really eye-opening about the lives of Afghans during the Taliban regime. My heart went out to Sohrab, and I was glad Amir FINALLY showed some backbone, even if he was basically forced to. Soraya was a saint; If I heard from my husband for the first time in two months, finding out he almost got himself killed and had been holding secrets from me for our entire marriage, I would have clubbed Amir over the head myself when he returned. I thought it strange that we didn’t find out about Baba’s lies until fifteen years after his death; I know the point was for Amir to “atone” for both of their sins, but I don’t think it worked. It’s unbelievably hypocritical of Baba to go on about theft being the worst sin as he lies every day to his sons.
This book kept seeming like it was going “This sad thing happened, aren’t you sad? Even though I foreshadowed it a zillion times? Cry already!” Especially towards the end, there was way too much clumsy foreshadowing. “Little did I know, I wouldn’t hear him speak for a year……” I feel like this is something you learn not to do in middle school creative writing class.
I think the worst part of the book was Assef. I read another review that compared him to a Disney villain and I agree; he was cartoonishly evil, and in my opinion an unnecessary antagonist to what would have already been a story full of struggle. Did we really need a nazi insert character?
Despite its flaws, some images in the writing stay in my mind. The descriptions of the countryside, Amir’s thoughts about Soraya, the Afghan way of life, and his father’s illness and passing are what shine. I listened to a lot of the audiobook, which was read by the author, and I think it was worth reading even just for me to learn how to properly pronounce “Afghan.”
The middle of the book was better; it was refreshing to see Amir and Baba’s day-to-day life and the story of the romance with Soraya was sweet. Baba was humanized in this section, and Amir had a chance to grow up and stop being such a spoiled child.
The final third was really eye-opening about the lives of Afghans during the Taliban regime. My heart went out to Sohrab, and I was glad Amir FINALLY showed some backbone, even if he was basically forced to. Soraya was a saint; If I heard from my husband for the first time in two months, finding out he almost got himself killed and had been holding secrets from me for our entire marriage, I would have clubbed Amir over the head myself when he returned. I thought it strange that we didn’t find out about Baba’s lies until fifteen years after his death; I know the point was for Amir to “atone” for both of their sins, but I don’t think it worked. It’s unbelievably hypocritical of Baba to go on about theft being the worst sin as he lies every day to his sons.
This book kept seeming like it was going “This sad thing happened, aren’t you sad? Even though I foreshadowed it a zillion times? Cry already!” Especially towards the end, there was way too much clumsy foreshadowing. “Little did I know, I wouldn’t hear him speak for a year……” I feel like this is something you learn not to do in middle school creative writing class.
I think the worst part of the book was Assef. I read another review that compared him to a Disney villain and I agree; he was cartoonishly evil, and in my opinion an unnecessary antagonist to what would have already been a story full of struggle. Did we really need a nazi insert character?
Despite its flaws, some images in the writing stay in my mind. The descriptions of the countryside, Amir’s thoughts about Soraya, the Afghan way of life, and his father’s illness and passing are what shine. I listened to a lot of the audiobook, which was read by the author, and I think it was worth reading even just for me to learn how to properly pronounce “Afghan.”
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
sad
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny