The Kite Runner

Title : The Kite Runner

Writer : Khaled Hosseini

Number of Page : 340

Publisher : Bloomsbury 

"It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”

This novel is about forgiveness and redemption. The main character, Amir was one of the lucky child in Afghanistan because his father was rich. But, he was also the coward that tried to win his father's heart.

Amir had a friend named Hassan. Hassan was the son of a servant and he was not as lucky as Amir. Unfortunately, he was more brave and athletic than Amir. Hassan was good with slingshot, he was also the best kite runner, and that made Amir feel a bit jealous.

"For you, a thousand times over."

As the story goes, we could see how loyal and unconditional love that Hassan had toward Amir. He defended Amir so many times. However, when Hassan was cornered by three bad guys Amir did not help him. He was too afraid and he just stood there watching his friend being raped.

The sin... the guilt... Amir would bring all his regrets throughout his lives. He could not face Hassan after what he did.

After the Russians invasion, Amir and his father migrated to America. Amir saw it as a chance to forget his past.

Years fly... until one day he got a call from someone in Afghanistan.

"There is a way to be good again."

Amir returned to his home country to deal with everything, including saving Hassan's son, Sohrab.

"I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”

I always like dramatic and sad stories. I like novels that can hurt my heart and make me cry because that way I know that the writer has successfully brought me into the story itself. And Khaled Hosseini is definitely one of that writer. He got talents with words. The way he describes things is so beautiful that I kept repeating the passages. 

"I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away.”

See? That was just so beautiful. I mean the words. (don't ask why I stupidly love words =.=) Furthermore, the story is so heart-wrenching. There were a lot of memories and after several years later the character would rekindle all of those memories. I always like that kind of story--remember the past, bits and pieces of memories--because those things engrave in my mind and my heart more than stories which only tell the very little part of character's lives. That's why I love story from childhood until the character becomes adult.

Okay, that was out of topic.

What should I say more? This book is just perfect. I like this one more than A Thousand Splendid Suns although The Kite Runner less makes sense in term of plots. I mean there are too many cruelties and coincidences. But like I say, I love dramatic stories and dramatic stories do not make sense.

The ending was very good. The hope arose from simple activity which was the kite fighting. Same as Hassan, Sohrab liked playing kites. And Amir, feeling like twelve-year old again, showed Sohrab how to play kites. 

"It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn't make everything all right. It didn't make ANYTHING all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird's flight. But I'll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting."

Oh, one more. The most important moral in this story is the one said by Amir's father. 

"There is only one sin. and that is theft... when you tell a lie, you steal someones right to the truth... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal a wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing." 

Fat full five stars! 

5/5