A lot of us seem to think that we got unlucky with our lives, that our lives are terrible compared to those around us. We wish for more money, more friends, better devices, better social skills and less problems. This is why we need stories like The Kite Runner, stories that show us just how easy we have it. It is a haunting story of a boy growing up in 1970s Afghanistan and personal and external challenges he faces both in Afghanistan, and after he escapes to the U.S. Brutally realistic, The Kite Runner provides no easy solutions or outcomes, and invokes some of the most powerful emotions of anger and sadness that a reader can experience during a story. One thing is for sure, it will make anyone in almost every country appreciate how lucky they are to be living in such a comfortable and peaceful time.
The Kite Runner follows the journey of Amir, an Afghani boy, and his life as he grows up, escapes to the U.S. after the Russian invasion, and comes back. But, as anyone who has read the book knows, it is about so much more than that. The first 70 or so pages almost fool the reader into thinking that it is a fairly light-hearted story about 2 young boys running kites, but once a certain incident occurs, the tone of the story shifts dramatically into a dark drama. Its commentary on the political landscape of Afghanistan is simple but effective, bringing out how war and takeover, whether it is from the Russians or the Taliban, has destroyed Afghanistan for most civilians involved.
But the heart and soul of the story comes not from the war-torn setting, but from the main character, Amir, and his journey. His relationship with his servant, Hassan, starts off as an endearing friendship, but after the incident with Assef, it turns into the tragic falling out of a relationship. Unlike most cookie-cutter protagonists, the reader ends up hating Amir because of his attitude and failure to confront his own demons. The frustration at his character builds up and remains until the end of the story, where he isn’t necessarily given redemption, but a spark of hope and humanity, in an otherwise bleak ending, that had been missing since he failed to protect Hassan from Assef. In addition, the storyline with Hassan’s son is focussed, powerful, dramatic and is a perfect pay-off of Amir’s childhood and relationship with Hassan. The main antagonist, Assef, is one of the coldest, most evil characters in literature, both as a child and as an adult. What makes him truly terrifying, however, is the realism of his character. Unlike mustache-twirling villains that want to take over the world, Assef is the type of person who exists in numbers in real life.
However, there are some issues that hold the story back a bit, in my opinion. It is the wasted opportunity of not including a final interaction between Amir and Hassan once they grew up. While I understand that Hassan’s unseen death is a more realistic and tragic choice, having Amir confront his past regret and mistake directly through Hassan could have been some of the most powerful drama in all of storytelling, and wouldn’t detract all that much from the brutal reality of the story. In addition, while Assef serves his purpose as an unstoppable embodiment of evil and the ultimate obstacle in Amir’s journey, he does feel quite one-note in his characterisation, with not a single humanizing or redeeming trait. In addition, other than his unequivocal loyalty to Amir and his dad, there is nothing too noteworthy about Hassan’s character.
Overall, while not without its flaws, The Kite Runner provides a fascinating and gut-punching look at a land and country in ruin, a deeply flawed man and his regrets, and evil in its most horrific form. Not only does it provide thought-out and powerful commentary on war, family, evil, prejudice and regret, but it is also extremely well-written. Though it is already an extremely popular novel, the world would almost certainly become a better and more empathetic place if more people exposed themselves to this book and the harsh and brutal realities the Afghani people have faced, and unfortunately still face today, especially since the Fall of Kabul.