"And that's the thing about the people
who mean everything they say,
They think everyone else does too."
This book I bought along with A Thousand Splendid Suns out of curiosity. I read this just after finishing Thousand Splendid Suns.
The storys is set in the pre-war city of Kabul, and revolves around two central characters Amir and Hassan. Amir comes from a privileged and wealthy family of
Pashtuns, his father whom he often refers to as 'Baba' was an influential
merchant into the city, while Hassan was the son of a Hazra, Ali working as a
house servant for Amir and his Baba. Despite the barrier of social class
between them, Amir and Hassan grew up together inseparable, always in tows with
each other. Hassan is described as loyal, fearless and pure fully complementing
Amir's introverted, insecure and sometimes selfish personality. Amir was always
seeking for his father's approval as he felt that his father favoured Hassan
more for his courageous and fearless nature. This also had caused Amir to be
jealous of Hassan and harbour sour thoughts against him.
The climax of their childhood friendship occurs during the 1975 Kite
fighting tournament, Amir as always wanted to gain his father's approval and so
he participated in this kite tournament with the intention to win. And surely
he was able to showcase his talent, when he took out the final kite in the
competition, Hassan, the renowned, kite runner was tasked with bringing the
fallen Kite as souvenir of their win. Hassan ran into the alley following the
falling kite's direction calling out to Amir, 'For you a thousand times over!'
However, what took place in the alleyway during retrieving the Kite remained a
lifelong guilt stuck in Amir's throat like a fishbone due to his few moments of
cowardice and inaction. Guided by his betrayal and guilt, he couldn't face
Hassan anymore, the loose threads of friendship had begun to worsen, when Amir
gave a last punch to fully break it and that was kicking Ali and Hassan out of
the house.
The troubles of his personal life reflected in the city of Kabul as
well. War broke out following the invasion of soviet forces and Amir and Baba
too had to flee the country. Following troubles throughout their journey they
somehow reached America, and started a fresh life. Amir tried to forget his
past and rebuild his life as a writer and he did. His career was doing well, he
married traditionally and built a conventional life of him in America. However,
the ghost of Hassan and his unatoned sin still haunted him. Amir was unable to
fully engage with his present because of his unresolved past. The first half of
the book deals with the war-torn cities and political upheaval in Afghanistan
and in the landscape of devastated Kabul, a moral challenge of betrayal and
guilt. While the second half deals with the quiet, reflective landscape of
America encouraging an action towards that moral challenge.
The past doesn’t wait much longer and the call
to action comes years later in the form of a summons from his Father’s old friend, Rahim Khan. Rahim
Khan was in Pakistan then, Amir didn’t even have a moment to spare and he
packed his bags and flew to Pakistan. After visiting Rahim Khan, Amir learns a
devastating truth about his father and Hassan – the truth further complicates
the history of betrayal and hierarchy between the two boys. Faced with a final
and desperate opportunity, Amir realises that the only path to resolve his
grief, guilt and betrayal is to stop running and embrace his childhood friend
and companion Hassan. This part of the novel focuses entirely on Amir’s
dangerous journey to Afghanistan in the quest of his redemption and finding
Hassan. In his journey he had to confront the people and the forces that
destroyed his country and his childhood, and make quite a few sacrifices to
right the wrongs of his past and prove that "there is a way to be good
again."
The Kite Runner is more than just a story of personal growth but it
is also a documentary and literary record of the tragedies of Afghanistan.
Khaled Hosseini is wonderful storyteller and he proves it not only with this
debut novel of his but his second novel in line ‘A thousand Splendid Suns’ as
well. The melancholy and nostalgia that flows through his words immerse the
readers into the sorrows, happiness and all the other emotions of the
characters in the book. Although in both the books the background and the landscape
of Afghanistan maintains the consistent
war-torn theme, The Kite Runner
stands out for its specific, male-centric narrative of guilt. The flawed Amir is an unforgettable character,
and his personality shift from cowardice
to courageous and accountable is profound.
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