Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner (2003)
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Literary fiction
Plot Summary:
This is a tale of lifelong friendship. Amir is the son of a wealthy Pashtun merchant in Afghanistan. His best friend Hassan is the son of his father’s housekeeper. The story opens with a long narrative that lays the groundwork of their close tie; however, when Amir chooses not to come to Hassan’s aid following a kite running competition and Hassan is raped by a ruthless neighborhood bully named Assef, their friendship sours. Amir, as it turns out, will be haunted by his cowardice for many years. When the Russians invade in 1980, Amir and his father Baba emigrate to the United States. Later, after the Taliban come to power, Amir returns to Afghanistan to help the son of Hassan and to hopefully redeem himself.
Geographical Setting: Afghanistan, Pakistan, California
Time Period: 1970s to the present
Appeal Characteristics:
One of the real appeals of this book was not only the compelling and well-told tale of a childhood friendship shattered and redeemed but the insight the tale gives into life in Afghanistan, something that many found relevant in the wake of 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. It opens with Afghanistan free, and then offers insight into life under the Soviet occupation and the rule of the Taliban. Hosseini is a gifted writer, and his tale is heartrending, intelligent, and thoroughly thought-provoking. The pace of the tale is not necessarily quick, but this is the type of tale you want to savor and the pace is very conducive to it.
Read-alikes: Try Andre Dubus’ The House of Sand and Fog about an Iranian immigrant in California, Dan Fesperman’s The Warlord’s Son about a war correspondent in Afghanistan during the U.S. campaign against the Taliban, Philip Hensher’s The Mulberry Empire about the attempt of the British to subjugate Afghanistan in 1839, Yasmina Khadra’s The Swallows of Kabul about two couples on opposite sides of the religious conflict under the rule of the Taliban, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake about the challenges a family faces when immigrating from Calcutta to the U.S., or Walter J. Roers’ The Pact about childhood friendships and disillusionment with adults.
Red Flags: some mild violence.
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