Premal P. Vora's review of The Kite Runner

Book Review (*****)
The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre/s: Fiction, Afghanistan
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Published: April 27, 2004
Amazon.com price: $9.51 (Paperback)

What can I write about a book that was on the NY Times's bestseller list for a long time? This book covers so much in terms of human relationships, countries, lifestyles, honor, betrayal, tragedy, human bondage, and the children of Afghanistan and their plight. How can a debutante cover so much in so little, in a style that is so simple and haunting?

This book is about a boy and his relationship with his best friend, a boy who desperately seeks approval from his father, a young man and immigrant to the U.S. and how he "makes it" in the U.S. with help from his dad, a man and his new wife, and a man, his wife and their adopted son. But most of all this book is about the tragedy that is Afghanistan.

In it, we get glimpses of what life in Afghanistan was like before the arrival of Soviet troops. Amir is the son of a rich Afghani businessman who lives in a beautiful house with his father, an old faithful servant, and the servant's son, Hassan, who is also Amir's best friend. We are treated to what life for a rich Afghani kid was like in those days. Despite the absence of Amir's mother, life could not possibly more idyllic for him. However, it is soon shattered as some tragic events unfold during the annual kite-flying competition which Amir wins with help from Hassan. So much of this part of the book reminds me of my own childhood in Bombay -- I lived in a big house with servants, a father who had a commanding presence, an annual kite-flying competition,...

Anyway, Amir is forced to flee to the U.S. with his father due to the arrival of the Soviet troops. Some of the events that unfold during their journey from Afghanistan to Pakistan reveal the true substance of Amir's father -- a man of (mostly) high character. What happens to Amir and his father when they arrive in the U.S.? How do they build a life in Fremont, California? What happens to Hassan and his family? How is the Taliban a part of this story? Who is the adopted boy I alluded to above? You'll have to read this fabulous story to discover all of that.