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A review by imaginefishes
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was originally skeptical of starting this book due to its length and what I believed to be touching on heavy topics, and the start of the book was somewhat slow to get through because of that. However, as the story progressed, I found I couldn't help but be drawn more and more to the book, and I genuinely could not stop thinking about it. The book is deliciously tightly woven together, where certain things certain characters say make an appearance throughout the book much like they sometimes would in our memories and lives, and the author touches on so many social issues pertaining to the context of Afghanistan, which, many of which remain unsolved and continue to be perpetuated today, especially with the recent insurgence of the Taliban. I find this book to be as relevant now as it was nearly 20 years ago, and the way the plot points and how each character is written is truly marvelous and leaves such a lasting imprint on your memory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Slavery, and Terminal illness
The plot points on paedophilia and rape were quite shocking, especially initially, and it is truly horrifying to realise these are real things that happen to real people, real children in Afghanistan (and the rest of the world), and the violence and ideology held by Assef which eventually led him to become one of the leaders of the Taliban and partake in an ethnic cleansing of his own was really quite vile and again, extremely shocking when it happened. Luckily, not all hope is lost, and he manages to get some sort of payback, however little. However, what I have to say is I really did not enjoy the company of the main character - while it is understandable he did what he did, I found it enraging how Hassan was always the one to come to his rescue, even in death, via Sohrab and his use of the slingshot, though it does make sense in the context of the book and his societal standing. The book is rife with tragedy, but that small sliver of hope by the ending managed to bring it back a little, thankfully, and somewhat redeem Amir from the demon he once thought he was .