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ryleagal's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
never sobbed to a book the way i did for this one…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, and Violence
krystal_uwu_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I borrowed this book from my school's library and I feel that I should file a complaint as it has caused me severe emotional distress.
I loved this book. The writing, the characters and the subtle plot twists were absolutely immaculate. The characters were extremely richly developed. The book is jam-packed with surprises.
There was a sense of morbid humility hovering over the pages and, I often found myself feeling upset even though nothing truly bad had yet happened. In retrospect, I guess it was because of my anticipation of the giant wave of sadness that was about to hit me like a tsunami.
Personally, I love the way the characters are fabricated. I absolutely loved the character development; Hosseini has done an amazing job developing them, which increases the emotional impact of the plot by a metric fuckton. Especially, it's remarkable how well he handled the first person protagonist, Amir. The traditional 'do wrong, then atone, conclude with happy ending' is not the way with The Kite Runner; instead, it utilizes an attempt to direct Amir towards a path of atonement, while sticking to a more realistic ending. Had it not been for Hosseini's unique narrative, Amir's character could have turned far more contemptible. Luckily, for me, it was never the case. Many would probably love the secondary characters more, but it is important to remember that it was the protagonist's undistorted, self-criticizing account of the events that made it that way. It's not something usually talked about or shown but, I quite liked the freshness of it.
What I loved most was that just when you thought it was all over, there was MORE. Like damn. There was arc after arc of grief, repentance, a constant struggle with one's own consciousness and poignance.
The writing was medium paced but, it brought me out of a reading slump. I liked the pace of the story, including the intermittent jumps in time used to separate the book in to a few main parts. Each of these parts had their own theme going on, while introducing an occasional twist to keep things interesting.
The writing style is somewhat simple, but I believe most readers would be too absorbed in the plot to notice it. If anything, it felt more appropriate, reducing distractions from the flow of the story. But the plot, and the characters make up perfectly for any other shortcoming in my opinion. Not exactly an emotional rollercoaster, for, the majority of the emotions include regret, disappointment, sadness, fear, anger, privation but very little happy ones. But all this helped the book become more moving.
It is certainly hard to believe that this was Hosseini's debut novel. And that is where the flaw comes in, it was just so beautifully fabricated that almost everything that happens seems intentional. I don't really know how to explain it, some may understand what I mean but, some may not and that's okay. Well, it's not much of a flaw but, it's like when you bite your nail and there's a hangnail where you know that if you pull it off it'll hurt very much but, you can't really just leave it there. I guess I could call it a lingering feeling of deliberateness. The arcs of the story, the characters, the plot and the symbolism were sometimes a bit in your face, so much so that it could retract from the story the initial sweetness.
However, I guess I'm biased to liking this book. I believe that the words of Hindi, Urdu and Farsi that were sprinkled throughout the book added depth to it and as someone who knows a bit of those languages I found it very endearing. I think it helped me connect with the book more. The culture, the language and the POV of Amir really helped me connect with the book. It was like a fungi growing in my heart 😭 a good one though.
What's interesting is that even though my personal situation is worlds away from that of the main character, Amir, and yet I could still see what he saw and feel what he felt. It's so easy to slip into his shoes even though at times he is despicable and insufferable. That was truly incredible. The way that I could connect to the story was extraordinary. There's just so much heart within the pages that escapes the pages and resides within you for the entirety of the read.
Now, I must explain why I found the main character relatable. A very controversial thing to say considering the things he does. I'm not saying I'm an Angel or a goddy two shoes but damn, I wouldn't ever do that, I can't be THAT cruel. Nevertheless, I think I can understand why he did what he did and that is partly because of the linguistic and cultural barrier not being there. South Asia and the Middle East have quite a few cultural similarities, our cuisine, our entertainment, our stories and languages. And, I think Amir's constant struggle for redemption and striving for something someone else has which he hasn't is a universal experience; at least here in India. No matter how good or bad you have it, there will always be someone who has it better than you and always someone who has it worse than you. The most prominent part of the book where this disparity is clearly denoted, which has no ups and downs, is where Farid, the person driving Amir from Peshwar to Afghanistan, says that Amir was "khudkihi watan me khud ajnabi" a stranger in his own land.
Going into the story I thought it was about an Afghani boy named Amir who made a horrible, horrible mistake in his past that haunts him for the rest of his life. Boy, was I wrong.
I really don't have anything to say about this book that hasn't been said already. It may seem overhyped to some but, once you read you will be able to understand why it is glorified the way it is. It's not just a story, it's a plethora of stories intertwined together to form a beautiful tale. It is a draining book; infuriating, agonizing, frustrating and excruciating even. But it was also moving and a 'dil deheladene wala kitab', a heartwarming book.
It's a book that grows on you. Truly. Would 100% recommend. Do check out the trigger list though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Pedophilia, Death, Vomit, Rape, Bullying, and Suicide
sagelikesscats's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
I thought this book was really good. It was mainly plot focused, and the the writing wasn't mind-blowing, but it was heartfelt, full of emotion, and makes me want to learn more about the history of Afganistan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Toxic friendship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Rape
Moderate: Classism, Racial slurs, and Torture
Minor: Antisemitism
sadiaa's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, War, Grief, Xenophobia, Cancer, Genocide, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Murder, Alcohol, Deportation, Rape, Body shaming, Classism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Suicide attempt
greenocean's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, War, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, and Sexual assault
2000sgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Rape, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexism
yannea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood."
This is a story that deserves 5 stars but it took me three months to actually finish the book. It's a heavy and painful read but it shouldn't come as a surprise when the cover has words like "devastating" and "haunting" written on it.
There were three things that pulled the rating down for me. First of all, I couldn't understand why the main character had to a writer. It depicted a very naive American dream because a 22-years-old immediately getting a book deal that pays all of his bills sounds too far-fetched. Maybe I missed something but I just couldn't see how it played any part in the plot.
Secondly, the "face" of the evil was a blonde, blue-eyed sociopath who worshipped Hitler and wore dark round sunglasses like John Lennon. His description made him a cliché cardboard character. Him being born a sociopath felt such a simple explanation of why someone would support Taliban. It's like someone told you to draw a human shaped monster and this is what you draw. It would be much harder to explain why normal common people do evil things. And normal common people have done a great deal of horrible things.
Lastly, it's written in first person with main character that is not very likeable so sitting so many hours with his regret and insecurity is very difficult. It's a spiral - you think something is bad and then takes place something that is worse. And then it keeps getting worse.
Also if you are triggered by child abuse and explicit violence, then stay away from this book.
This is a story that deserves 5 stars but it took me three months to actually finish the book. It's a heavy and painful read but it shouldn't come as a surprise when the cover has words like "devastating" and "haunting" written on it.
There were three things that pulled the rating down for me. First of all, I couldn't understand why the main character had to a writer. It depicted a very naive American dream because a 22-years-old immediately getting a book deal that pays all of his bills sounds too far-fetched. Maybe I missed something but I just couldn't see how it played any part in the plot.
Secondly, the "face" of the evil was a blonde, blue-eyed sociopath who worshipped Hitler and wore dark round sunglasses like John Lennon. His description made him a cliché cardboard character. Him being born a sociopath felt such a simple explanation of why someone would support Taliban. It's like someone told you to draw a human shaped monster and this is what you draw. It would be much harder to explain why normal common people do evil things. And normal common people have done a great deal of horrible things.
Lastly, it's written in first person with main character that is not very likeable so sitting so many hours with his regret and insecurity is very difficult. It's a spiral - you think something is bad and then takes place something that is worse. And then it keeps getting worse.
Also if you are triggered by child abuse and explicit violence, then stay away from this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Rape
celiagpiserra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Gun violence, Death, Child abuse, and War
beancastro's review against another edition
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Murder, Death, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Infertility, Genocide, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
afroheaux's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Like a lot of people, I first read this book in high school and I don't think I fully appreciated it at the time. I was caught up in the wind of my own traumas and had better things to do than to read a book for class. However, after reading a Thousand Splendid Suns again, I wanted to check out more of Hosseini's books, so I went back to the beginning. And wow, did this book rock me.
One thing I love about Hosseini's books is how honest he is about trauma and how it manifests in your life. The pain is so palpable that sometimes I had to put the book down, overwhelmed by the amount of emotion being threaded into the page. It carries a weight in your heart that's not easily dislodged. The choices that Amir makes throughout the book will leave you aggravated. His treatment of Hassan throughout their children is despicable and I'm not even referencing their shared trauma of the gang rape. I understand that he felt lesser to Hassan because he felt like Hassan should've been where he stood. That was no excuse to take out his pain on him. Throughout the book he references how he snaps at him or does something nasty towards and he's like, "But Hassan always understood." The cruelty he showed towards him so that he could get rid of his own feelings of inadequacy pissed me off. Amir saw the kindness in which his father gained people's respect. How could he not do the same with his own best friend? The one who did everything for him? He was his personal assistant and maid wrapped under the guise of a best friend and he couldn't at least treat him with dignity? That's my only complaint about the book. Amir was just a little bit too self involved sometimes, but he's human, as we all are, so I can't blame him for that necessarily, but it was annoying to read someone berate someone who loved them so.
The poison does drip through and affects its victims in different ways. The relationship at the heart of the book, Amir & Hassan, is such a beautiful portrayal of love between men in a platonic way that surpasses what is traditionally allowed in American contexts and it's incredible to watch. Hosseini does a wonderful job of transporting you into the streets of Afghanistan prior to the revolution that kicked off a series of war crimes and misfortunes that tore apart a country with a rich history and culture. He gives humanity to a section of the world that many have cast aside as filled with murderous religious extremists which is an ignorant oversimplification and bigoted statement. Reading his works have made me interested in the history of the region at that time and why the Middle East turned into a battleground for Western interests.
One thing I love about Hosseini's books is how honest he is about trauma and how it manifests in your life. The pain is so palpable that sometimes I had to put the book down, overwhelmed by the amount of emotion being threaded into the page. It carries a weight in your heart that's not easily dislodged. The choices that Amir makes throughout the book will leave you aggravated.
The poison does drip through and affects its victims in different ways. The relationship at the heart of the book, Amir & Hassan, is such a beautiful portrayal of love between men in a platonic way that surpasses what is traditionally allowed in American contexts and it's incredible to watch. Hosseini does a wonderful job of transporting you into the streets of Afghanistan prior to the revolution that kicked off a series of war crimes and misfortunes that tore apart a country with a rich history and culture. He gives humanity to a section of the world that many have cast aside as filled with murderous religious extremists which is an ignorant oversimplification and bigoted statement. Reading his works have made me interested in the history of the region at that time and why the Middle East turned into a battleground for Western interests.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape