Abuse, caste system, and invasion long time effects

Described in explicit detail
That´s one of the reasons the book first had problems with all audiences, Westerners, and different fractions of the Afghan people. It´s just totally in your face and doesn´t care about genre conventions regarding violence and especially sexual explicitness. The fact that that´s unacceptable in non democratic Afghan parties is understandable. But that first world people had problems with some heavy stuff is one more ridiculous overkill, especially because it uses the described atrocities to

Denounce invasions, hierarchies, and sexual abuse
The cruelty of war is the most obvious problem everyone agrees upon, but what about status? No matter if it´s in a feudal medieval state, a caste system, or defined by socioeconomic power and thereby worth, dividing people by giving them different social positions is a game as old as time. And it works so well, everyone high in the ranks will use her/his big influence to concrete this power for eternity and all others are busy fighting to reach the top or just somehow survive. Thereby, they aren´t able to work together and realize the immense influence they could have as united citizens of a country or people of the world, and instead

Help the 1 percent become even mightier
The Western US and EU model of doing as if there is a democracy and equality, while it´s in reality just an oligarchy of international megacorporations, military industrial complexes, and public private partnerships controlling all governments except for the rare eco social Nordic model ones, is even more ludicrous than pure caste systems. At least they honestly say that they believe in the hereditary, faith fueled, or traditional different worth of people. One of the most disturbing real life manifestations of this is how they deal with

Strong sexual predators
Everyone else is prey and they exactly know that nothing can happen to them. In industrialized countries, there is at least a small chance of a metoo wave and many speaking up after one dared to do so, although victim blaming, slut shaming, and perpetrator protection are often louder than the cries of the rape victims. In caste systems, it´s simply a kind of inherent right of alphas to do whatever their fetish is with everyone else in alphabetic order. All these elements are united

To describe the unnatural friendship
Of a high and a low ranking kid of a society. Besides great characterizations, the invasion pimping the plot, a detailed description of the Afghan society, and the mentioned deeper messages, innuendos, and connotations, their life is the essence of this outstanding novel. And there is no room for unrealistic fairytale tropes, happy endings, or justice in a country so grim, gruesome, and sadistic. The essence of the world humans love to create so much with

Superpowers playing chess with weaker nations
No matter which country in the Southern hemisphere, Middle East, and Central Asia, they are all victims of neocolonialism, sometimes full scale military invasions and occupations, and everything the WTO, World Bank, and IMF throw at them in economic warfare experiments. But guess what, hypocritical and bigoted Europeans and US Americans prefer to be sad about the terrible things described in novels showing the consequences of exploitation, than to realize that their political and economic system is the reason for all the suffering.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

before: the lady at the bookstore was like "this book is gonna break your heart, darling" and I was thinking "lady, don't threaten me with a good time

Amir, a little boy growing up in the early 1970's in Kabul the capital of Afghanistan, has the idyllic life a wealthy father Baba, a widower the mother died giving birth to Amir he believes the father hates him for that, in the most beautiful house some say in the city, a great friend Hassan the son of Ali, a servant and loyal to the family. Baba and Ali had been friends too in childhood strange since Hassan's father is just a Hazara (Mongol), Hassan's promiscuous mother had left them to join a group of dancers , a detested minority in the country hated and persecuted by the dominant Pashtuns, they call themselves the real Afghans...But the world never stays the same always moving forward for better or worse and it gets much much worse, King Zahir Shah, peaceful, forty year reign is ended overthrown, by his disloyal cousin Daoud Khan, making himself the President of the Republic whatever that is ...The communist kill the usurper the Russians invade and forty bloody years later the wars continue... Amir and Hassan are inseparable constantly playing together , walking to the top of the nearby hill as Baba's son reads to Hassan an illiterate, making up stories also to trick his friend, he does that often to the always amiable boy, flying kites in the blue skies their great passion together. Hassan saves the cowardly Amir from the local bully Assef, half - German with blond hair and evil eyes , brass knuckles in his pocket a crazed sadist, he enjoys inflicting major damage to his victims yet will not challenge the Hazaras powerful slingshot. Pahim Khan is Baba's, wise best friend and business partner, frequent visitor and knows all the dark secrets that even Amir doesn't. Kind to the lonely boy, while the disappointed cold father, at six foot five, strong as an ox too brave sometimes during bad situations, he wrestled a bear once and lived to boast about his victory sees his child, a weak boy a bookworm can he really be his son ? In the neighborhood kite contest Amir with the help of Hassan wins, defeats dozens of opponents the proud father looks glowingly from above on his rooftop , with Pahim Khan this is his son at last. But while the incomparable kite runner Hassan, follows the last blue kite slowly falling (a symbol of an era soon gone) , that was downed by Amir to insure victory and get the souvenir, a horrible event occurs in a dirty alley witnessed by timid Amir , it will ensure a lifetime of pain remorse and unforeseen consequences. A terrific tale of redemption, a child's view of the world turned sideways shattered into many pieces that will never be the same, but still life must go on people are complicated and reality is hidden from most of us .

I liked this book a lot. Due to the uncomfortable nature of the story told, I'll probably never read it again, but I'm glad that I did read it once. I saw it as the story of one not very likeable boy growing up in a soon to be war torn region and his eventual struggle for redemption.

I was quite surprised to see how popular some of the negative reviews of this book were and I'd like to comment on a few of the comments they contained.

One condemnatory critic said "This is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly." Ah, if only that were truer. In a study done not long ago, over half of American adult men, when asked, admitted to having read NO books in the last year. Personally, as a white American, this book made me grateful that I grew up where I did, and once again reminded me of how good I've had it, and how little I really know about life outside these insular, isolationist, United States.

Another critic claimed that this book "...portrays Afghanistan as backward" Personally I thought that it portrayed it as a war torn, deeply wounded country that was at one time a bit like our ante-bellum south. It was made quite clear that we saw pre-soviet Afghanistan through the eyes of a doubly privileged class, the rich child.

Another critic claimed "The members of the servant and poorer classes are consistently portrayed as saintly, absurdly self-sacrificing, one-dimensional characters." Yes, that's true. But the viewpoint is a that of an over-privileged, rich, selfish child. Given the ante-bellum south atmosphere that our protagonist sees, it's a wonder that the epithet "uncle Tom" wasn't used.

Finally one critic complained "The book fails exactly where it most needs to succeed - in the depiction of the Taliban." Personally, I felt that while that need may be great, I didn't see that as the purpose of this book.

I saw this book as the story of one man's journey toward redemption against a background of a troubled heritage. I sometimes recall doing things as a child that now makes me wonder about myself, and while I like to think I've become a better human being, I sometimes shudder at the savage, thoughtless child that was once under this skin. For the personal perspective alone, I think this book is a worthwhile, if sometimes uncomfortable, read. If you let it, it may make you a better person.

The Kite Runner, 2003, Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books.

It tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan.

The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «بادبادک باز»؛ «بادبادک پران»؛ نویسنده خالد حسینی؛ تاریخ خوانش در ماه مارس سال دوهزاروپنج میلادی

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ نویسنده: خالد حسینی؛ مترجم زیبا گنجی؛ پریسا سلیمانزاده اردبیلی، مشخصات نشر تهران، مروارید، 1383، در 422ص؛ شابک9645881927؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مهدی غبرائی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، نشر همراه، 1384، در 456ص؛

عنوان: بادبادک پران؛ مترجم: منیژه شیخ جوادی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، پیکان، 1385، در 383ص؛ شابک 9789643284953؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مهدی غبرائی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، نیلوفر، 1386، در 368ص؛ شابک 9644482972؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: صدیقه ابراهیمی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، دایره، 1387، در 393ص؛ شابک 9789646939694؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مژگان احمدی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، بهزاد، 1388، در 331ص؛ شابک 9789642569410؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: پیمان اشراقی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، نگارستان کتاب، 1389، در 508 ص؛ شابک 9786005541557؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: سمیه یداللهی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، شهرزاد، 1389، در 376ص؛ شابک 9786001710421؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: رقیه فیروزی؛ مشخصات نشر قم، رخ مهتاب راتا، 1392، در 338ص؛ شابک 9786007076026؛

عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: حسین بخشی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، آوای مکتوب، 1393، در 368ص؛ شابک 9786007364055؛

داستان از زبان «امیر» روایت می‌شود، «امیر» نویسنده ای اهل «افغانستان» و از تبار ایل «پشتون» و ساکن «کالیفرنیا» هستند، که برای نجات یک بچه، راهی «افغانستان» می‌شوند؛ افغانستانی که در تحت حاکمیت «طالبان» است، و یکی از دشوارترین دورانهای تاریخ چند هزار ساله‌ ی خویش را سپری می‌کند، و به بهانه ی همین سفر «امیر» به «افغانستان»، ایشان داستان زندگی‌ خویش را نیز برای خوانشگر بازگویی‌ میکنند

نقل از متن کتاب: (ناراحت شدن از یک حقیقت بهتر از تسکین یافتن با یک دروغ است
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حسن اینطوری بود؛ لعنتی آنقدر بی غل و غش بود که پیش او آدم همیشه حس میکرد ریاکار است
**
بابا گفت: «خوبه.» اما نگاهش حیران بود؛ «خب هرچی ملا یادت داده ول کن، فقط یک گناه وجود دارد والسلام؛ آن هم دزدی است - البته برخی هم آن یک گناه را دروغگویی میدانند؛ هر گناه دیگری هم نوعی دزدی است؛ میفهمی چی میگویم؟» مایوسانه آرزو کردم و گفتم کاش میفهمیدم؛ و گفتم «نه بابا جون»؛ نمی‌خواستم دوباره ناامیدش کنم.؛ بابا با بی حوصلگی آهی کشید؛ با اینکار دوباره دلم را سوزاند، چون او اصلاً آدم بی حوصله ای نبود؛ یادم آمد که تا هوا تاریک نمیشد، هیچ وقت به خانه نمیآمد، همیشه ی خدا تنهایی شام میخوردم؛ وقتی میآمد خانه، از «علی» میپرسیدم بابا کجا بوده؟ هر چند خودم خوب میدانستم که سر ساختمان بوده، سرکشی به این، نظارت به آن؛ مگر این کارها حال و حوصله نمیخواست؟ از تمام آن بچه هایی که داشت برایشان پرورشگاه میساخت متنفر بودم؛ گاهی وقتها آرزو میکردم، کاش همه ی آنها با پدر و مادرهایشان مرده بودند؛ بابا گفت «اگر مردی را بکشی، یک زندگی را میدزدی؛ حق زنش را از داشتن شوهر میدزدی، جق بچه هایش را از داشتن پدر میدزدی؛ وقتی دروغ میگویی، حق کسی را از دانستن حقیقت میدزدی.؛ وقتی تقلب میکنی، حق را از انصاف میدزدی، میفهمی؟) پایان نقل از متن کتاب

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 19/05/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

We travel back to early 1970s Afghanistan, to Kabul, where we meet Amir, a young boy whose only source of happiness is tied to his father’s approval and his best friend, Hassan—the son of his father’s servant.

As the monarchy in Afghanistan comes under threat from the Russian invasion, the lives of these boys will never be the same.

This is one of the darkest, most powerful, and heart-wrenching stories you will ever read. At times, the events are so difficult to absorb that you may need to close the book, take a break, and gather your composure before continuing. The cruelty, injustice, and tragedies shake you to your core, cutting deeply, as if tiny shards of glass are lodged beneath your skin.

I don’t think anyone could finish this book without shedding tears. This is my third time reading it, and I still cannot stop crying!
Definitely a MUST-READ—powerful, provocative, dark, sad, and heartbreaking. It’s brilliantly written and the author’s finest work!

In 2012, when I was Mathematics teacher at a private high school in Iran, I had an Afghan student in my class. Sometimes, I discussed with my students about literature, and I told them of novels and poem. I found it very strange that my students had no interest in literature and even sometimes looked with hostility to this discussion. Days passed and much time was left to the end of school year. One day I saw Ali, Afghan student, came to me and had a booklet in his hand and I saw in his eyes several times as if he wanted to say something, but he was quiet. I waited for a little, and after a few moments, I began to speak. He smiled, and with a special Afghan accent, he said " I have written a story, sir " and became quiet again. I said "it's excellent! ", and I asked, "do you read books? ". Yes, sir, he replied. I asked, "what kind of books do you like? ". Mark Twain and John Steinbeck and Jules Verne, he answered. I asked what you have written? He replied I wrote a story about a 13 years old Afghan boy who immigrated to Iran. I got his booklet, and I read it in a week. It was a dark story. A week later, we discussed again after class. Ali invited me to go his house at night for reading books. I was pleased, and I greeted this plan. When night arrived, I took the kite runner and went to Ali's home. When I entered the house, I saw a house with mud walls that has no rooms, except a small hull that there was a table in the middle of it and almost nine children were dining. Of clothes of Ali's father, it was obvious that he was a building worker and he welcomed me very sincerely. I thanked him, and I went to the storehouse in the corner of the yard that Ali had made it, a place to be alone. Ali took the book and with incredible passion began to read. This process was repeated almost every night for a week, and we have read half of the Kite Runner. Among pages of the book, Ali informed me about Afghanistan, explained of how twenty people, entered Iran with a small car, illegally and secretly. Of how his classmates ridiculed him because of his Afghan accent, of how he was forced to work in a brick burner factory all days after the school, of how his dad has forced him to marry at the age of 13 in the summer. Then Ali proceeded to speak that he wants to be a writer and prizes the Nobel award. I saw in his room that he had Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Hafiz and Rumi's book poem. When I looked at his face, I saw an unusual man who was ahead of his time and situation. Ali said, because Afghans have been banned of the registration in public schools in Tehran, he is forced to register in a private school, and now he and his mother must work hard to pay school charges.
The next week, I went to class, but I didn't see Ali. When I asked the guys about him, they replied that because his father hadn't citizenship card and passport, he was arrested, and all of them have deported to Afghanistan. I was agitated that I couldn't continue reading Kite Runner never. Even I felt so depressed and sad when I saw the book in bookstores. Until this spring, after three years, I got a message in WhatsApp messenger from Ali, that congratulated teachers day to me. He was written that he married to a girl who was in love with her and they have a two months old girl baby. He was written he is working at a bookstore in Kabul and he has read almost thousand books in three years. He was written they have the 4G Internet in Kabul and I replied him, it's supposed to we have 4G in Tehran as well, soon! When I received the message, I could reread the Kite Runner. It was a great book, especially for me, recall nostalgia of tired immigrants and unfavorable circumstances.
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سال 1391 زمانی که معلم ریاضی حق التدریس یه دبیرستان خصوصی شده بودم یه دانش اموز افغان هم سر کلاس داشتم ..هرازگاهی به بهونه های مختلف بحث رو به ادبیات میکشوندم و از رمان و شعر برای بچه ها میگفتم .. برام خیلی عجیب بود که بچه های کلاس هیچ علاقه ای به ادبیات نشون نمیدادن و گاهی حتی با دید تمسخر هم به قضیه نگاه میکردن.. روزها میگذشت و زمان زیادی به پایان سال تحصیلی باقی نمونده بود.. یک روز بعد از پایان کلاس دیدم علی محصل افغان , اومد کنار میز من و تووی دستش یه دفترچه داشت و تووی چشاش دیدم که چندبار انگار میخواست حرفی بزنه اما سکوت کرد.. کمی صبر کردم و بعد از چند لحظه سر صحبت رو باز کردم.. لبخند زد و با لهجه افغانی خاصش گفت "اقا من یه داستان نوشتم ".و سکوت کرد.. گفتم خیلی عالیه.. پرسیدم. کتاب هم میخونی? گفت اقا بله..گفتم چی میخونی? جواب داد مارک تواین و جان اشتاین بک و ژول ورن.. گفتم چی مینویسی ..جواب داد یه رمان نوشتم درباره یه پسر سیزده ساله افغان که به ایران مهاجرت کرده. دفترچه رو از علی گرفتم و تووی یک هفته خوندم. داستان غمگین بود. یک هفته بعد دوباره بعد از کلاس با هم صحبت کردیم. علی من رو دعوت کرد که شبها به خونه شون برم و کتاب بخونیم. خب خیلی از این ��یشنهاد خوشحال شدم و استقبال کردم. شب کتاب بادبادک باز رو برداشتم و رفتم . وارد خونه که شدم دیدم یه خونه با دیوارهای کاهگلی که هیچ اتاقی نداره بجز یه پذیرایی که وسطش یه سفره انداخته بودن و هشت نه تا بچه کوچیک داشتن غذا می خوردن. پدر علی که از لباسهاش مشخص بود یه کارگر ساختمونی هست با گرمی خاصی از من استقبال کرد. من تشکر کردم و با علی رفتیم به سمت انباری کوچیکی که گوشه حیاط بود و علی از اون یه جایی برای تنها بودنش درست کرده بود. علی کتاب رو از من گرفت و با شعف خاصی مشغول خوندن شد.. تقریبا یک هفته هر شب این جریان تکرار می شد و ما نیمی از بادبادک باز رو خونده بودیم. علی لابلای صفحه های کتاب برام از افغانستان میگفت از این که چطور بیست نفر با یه سواری وارد ایران شدن ازینکه چطور بچه های کلاس اون رو بخاطر لهجه افغانی مسخره میکنن از این که عصرها بعد از مدرسه مجبوره تووی کارگاه اجر پزی کار کنه. از اینکه پدرش مجبورش میکنه که تابستون تووی سیزده سالگی ازدواج کنه.. بعد علی ادامه داد دلش میخواد نویسنده بشه و جایزه نوبل بگیره. توی اون انباری کوچیک دیدم که شاهنامه و خیام و حافظ و مولوی هم داره.. میگفت حافظ رو از بر داره و خیام رو هم.. و من توی اون نگاهش یه پسر شریف رو می دیدم که خیلی از زمان و محیط خودش جلوتر رفته بود. علی گفت چون توی مدارس دولتی نامنویسی افغانها ممنوعه مجبور شده توی یه دبیرستان خصوصی درس بخونه و حالا خودش و مادرش برای تامین این هزینه مجبورن کار کنن.. هفته بعد که باز سر کلاس رفتم علی رو ندیدم. وقتی پرسیدم بچه ها گفتن که چون پدرش کارت نداشته گرفتنش و همشون رو فرستادن افغانستان. اونقدر ناراحت شدم که دیگه سمت بادبادک باز نرفتم. حتی دیدن کتاب تووی شهرکتابا غمگینم میکرد.. تا اینکه بهار امسال بعد از سه سال پیامی از علی تووی وایبر رسید که روز معلم رو تبریک گفته بود.. نوشته بود با دختری که دوستش داره ازدواج کرده و یک دختر دوماهه داره. نوشته بود حالا در یه کتابفروشی توی کابل کار میکنه و توی این سه سال هزارتا کتاب خونده.نوشته بود ما اینجا تووی کابل اینترنت نسل چهارم داریم. براش نوشتم قراره نسل چهارم بزودی به ایران هم برسه! با رسیدن پیام علی باز تونستم به بادبادک باز نزدیک بشم .کتاب خوبی بود.. مخصوصا برای من یاداور غربت مهاجرای خسته و ناسازگاری روزگار...

n  ‘for you, a thousand times over.’n

no words can describe the heaviness i am feeling in my heart right now.

i will never re-read this as it is too emotionally devastating (i genuinely cant remember the last time a book made me cry so much), but i know it is a story that will stay will me for the rest of my life. of that, i have no doubt.

also, john, thanks for recommending this book, but i will be sending you my bill for all the therapy i will need after this.

↠ 5 stars

➳ n  3.75/5 starsn

n   “Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors"n

I had very like very high expectations from this book but guess what it failed to deliver now before you come at my neck give me a minute to explain myself! so i went in with high expectations bc i loved the thousand splendid suns so much like literally I was bawling my eyes out and another reason why i had such high hopes bc everyone and their mother's love this book and I was so ready to be heartbroken, and while the book did evoke sadness, it wasn’t in the way I expected.

I'm not saying this book wasn't sad or heartbreaking bc we all know it was i just feel i couldn't connect that much with the characters and moreover i have never read about a main character that is this questionable like no matter how hard I tried i just couldn't find myself to even give a fuck about Amir..

➳n  n    ABOUT THE BOOK :- n  n

This book follows the story of two friends, Amir and Hassan, who have spent their entire childhood together. Amir is the son of one of Kabul’s wealthiest businessmen, while Hassan is the son of a servant who works for Amir's father.

Amir and Hassan grew up together in Kabul, sharing a close bond and a love for kite running. Their favorite pastime takes a serious turn when Amir becomes determined to win the local kite-fighting tournament to win his father's approval. With Hassan's unwavering support, Amir achieves victory, but this triumph comes at a devastating cost. What happens after the competition shatters not only their moment of joy but also their lifelong friendship. The trust between them is broken, and the events of that single day drastically alter the course of their lives as they grapple with the consequences.

"But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either"


➳ n  n    ABOUT THE CHARACTERS :- n  n

╰┈➤ n   AMIRn

"Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba"

I’ve rarely encountered a protagonist I disliked as much as Amir, the narrator of this story. His younger self was not only spoiled and self-centered but also completely unethical. The way he treated Hassan was heartbreaking and infuriating. His betrayal toward his best friend was so painful, it stayed with me long after I finished reading. How could he just stand by and let that happen? Worse, how could he think of Hassan as “just a Hazara” and justify his actions like that? It was shocking and, honestly, disappointing.

Amir’s guilt and the way his past haunted him throughout his life were well deserved. After what he did, it was only right that he carried that burden. His entire journey in the book is shaped by his deep remorse, and while he eventually did the right thing by seeking redemption, I couldn’t bring myself to fully forgive him. If only he had intervened when Hassan needed him most. If only he had treated Hassan with kindness after the incident.

But no, he didn’t stop there. Instead, Amir added insult to injury by falsely accusing Hassan of theft, lying to his father and everyone else. Who does that to someone they once considered their best friend? Even though Amir’s later actions were a step toward making amends, it’s hard to overlook the deep damage he caused. Without a doubt, Amir remains one of the most questionable characters I’ve ever read about.

╰┈➤ n   HASSAN n

"I have been dreaming a lot lately, Amir agha. Some of them are nightmares, like hanged corpses rotting in soccer fields with bloodred grass. I wake up from those short of breath and sweaty. Mostly, though, I dream of good things, and praise Allah for that. I dream that Rahim Khan sahib will be well. I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person, a free person, and an important person. I dream that lawla flowers will bloom in the streets of Kabul again and rubab music will play in the samovar houses and kites will fly in the skies. And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you."

God bless his kind and innocent soul! Hassan was truly an angel, and I still can’t comprehend how he managed to forgive Amir. But somehow, he did, and my admiration and love for his character will never fade. Hassan’s loyalty, kindness, and pure heart made him one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever read. His only flaw, if you could call it that, was that he was too good for the cruel, violent world he lived in.

He deserved so much more than life gave him. When I learned about Sohrab's suffering, I was beyond heartbroken. I was devastated. It was like another betrayal of Hassan’s memory, and I can only imagine how much pain he would have felt knowing what happened to his son. I felt a deep sadness for both of them, knowing that despite all the love and goodness in Hassan, the world failed him in so many ways.


╰┈➤ n   BABA n

"The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little"

Baba was definitely a flawed character, but despite his shortcomings, I couldn't help but love him for it. There was so much good in him, yet he had his fair share of bad traits too. For someone who was often described as seeing the world in black and white, he himself was filled with shades of grey, and that made him both likeable and frustrating at the same time. He was such a contradictory person, and after learning about his secret, I finally understood why he was the way he was.

Even with all his flaws, Baba always tried to be a righteous man, and at his core, he had a good heart. His complexities made him feel incredibly real, and I admired that, despite everything, he truly cared about doing the right thing in the end.


╰┈➤ n   SOHRAB n

"I miss Father, and Mother too,And I miss Sasa and Rahim Khan sahib. But sometimes I’m glad they’re not … they’re not here anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want them to see me… I’m so dirty. I’m so dirty and full of sin.”

This boy completely shattered my heart, and I honestly don’t know how to begin picking up the pieces. He was only ten years old! How can anyone justify hurting a child? The things that Assef did to him were unspeakable, and I am beyond grateful that Sohrab managed to escape from his clutches. That particular chapter was truly horrifying, I felt physically ill while reading it. Just imagining that monster having his hands on Sohrab makes my stomach turn.

Sohrab deserved so much more than the life he was handed. He didn’t just deserve a better childhood, he deserved the chance to simply be a child, free from fear and pain. The fact that he was robbed of that innocence is utterly heartbreaking. It devastates me to think of everything he went through, and my heart aches for the little boy who deserved a life filled with love and happiness. He deserved to laugh, to play, and to feel safe, everything that should come with being a child. The trauma he endured will haunt me, and I’ll never stop feeling sorrow for what he suffered.


— This book made me feel so much, I loved it and hated it all at once. It was a literal rollercoaster of emotions. What I truly cherished, though, was the ending, my precious boy finally got the beautiful, sweet conclusion he deserved. That hopeful, amazing, and beautiful ending was everything! It absolutely killed me, and I can’t help but think of that sweet, gentle, and shy boy who finally found a glimmer of hope amidst all the pain.

➳ "Overall, if you’re looking for a book that will break your heart, shatter your soul, and make you sob at ungodly hours, then this is definitely your catch"

"For you, a thousand times over."

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

"...attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."

"But even when he wasn't around, he was."

"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."

"...she had a voice that made me think of warm milk and honey."

"My heart stuttered at the thought of her."

"...and I would walk by, pretending not to know her, but dying to."

"It turned out that, like satan, cancer had many names."

"Every woman needed a husband, even if he did silence the song in her."

"The first time I saw the Pacific, I almost cried."

"Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look."

"Make morning into a key and throw it into the well,
Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.
Let the morning sun forget to rise in the East,
Go slowly, lovely moon, go slowly."

"Men are easy,... a man's plumbing is like his mind: simple, very few surprises. You ladies, on the other hand... well, God put a lot of thought into making you."

"All my life, I'd been around men. That night, I discovered the tenderness of a woman."

"And I could almost feel the emptiness in [her] womb, like it was a living, breathing thing. It had seeped into our marriage, that emptiness, into our laughs, and our lovemaking. And late at night, in the darkness of our room, I'd feel it rising from [her] and settling between us. Sleeping between us. Like a newborn child."

"America was a river, roaring along unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. If for nothing else, for that I embraced America."

"...and every day I thank [God] that I am alive, not because I fear death, but because my wife has a husband and my son is not an orphan."

"...lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty."

"...sometimes the dead are luckier."

"He walked like he was afraid to leave behind footprints. He moved as if not to stir the air around him."

"...and when she locked her arms around my neck, when I smelled apples in her hair, I realized how much I had missed her. 'You're still the morning sun to me...' I whispered."

"...there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eys of the people in this [hospital] corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him... there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is."

WOW! This book was beautiful, exquisite.

This book follows the story of a rich boy named Amir who grows up playing with his buddy Hassan who is the son of his father's servant. This story is one of friendship, betrayal, love, redemption, and family.

There were so many different twists in this book that I never saw coming. It was also so real that I had to Google, "Is The Kite Runner based on a true story?" If you are wondering, no, it is not.

Honestly, this book was so moving and beautiful that I was crying at multiple spots in the book. It would be hard to convey how much I love this book. Even typing this review, I am tearing up. Love in real life is not a Hallmark movie or a Lifetime show. Even people we love let us down and disappoint from time to time. The world doesn't always give us an easy hand in life. However, this author perfectly depicted imperfect characters who were doing their best.

If you need a read, this book is it. It is captivating and page turning. It will rumble your soul.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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i really wanted to like this novel. judging from its thousands of 'five-star reviews' hailing it as the one of the 'best books ever written,' i'm in the minority when i state that this novel, while well-intentioned, just left a little bit of sour taste in my mouth.

my problems with the novel are as follows: first of all the writing itself is so ham-fistened, heavy-handed, distracting and otherwise puzzling that by the midway point, i seriously considered chucking the book against the wall. each page of the novel has at least 5-10 incomplete sentences. i'm all for experimental and fractered prose--but it's important for authors to use it judiciously. hosseini, unfortunately, beats it to death. a lot of his language is cliched, too, which is funny considering there's a passage in the book about a writing teacher who warns the narrator, amir, about using cliches. i don't know if that was supposed to be funny or not, but it made me laugh (and what was worse was the san francisco's chronicle's glowing review on the book's cover and the san francisco chronicle's glowing review of amir's novel--coincidence?).

the author's use of farsi--especially in the dialogue--was equally distracting. my point is that no one speaks the way his characters speak. people don't switch back and forth between languages while speaking, and if they do, they certainly don't speak 1/2 the sentence in english, say one word in farsi, then traslate the farsi word to english, then finish the sentence in english, when they're presumably speaking farsi to begin with. i didn't pick up this book for a crash course in colloquial farsi. after 370 pages, i was frustrated--and annoyed.

hosseini's plot often borders on the ridiculous. the'twists' are just TOO coincidental--and not surprising at all (except in how contrived they are). for example, in a devasted kabul, amir sees a homeless man in the street. the homeless man, of course, was a former university professor who just happened to teach with amir's long deceased mother. what a coincidence! what makes it worse, is that the narrator, amir then explains that while that may, in fact, seem like a coincidence, it happens in afghanistan happens all the time. of course it does. in another example, amir's former nemesis, assaf (now a taliban crony), beats up amir and amir ends up with a scar above his lip, just like his dear friend hassan, who was born with cleft-pallet. oh, the coincidence! (and the fact that amir even runs into assef again is ridiculous). another example: amir and his wife aren't able to have children, and of course they find an orphan boy who happens to be extended family and they adopt him. what a coincidence! and after amir returns to afghanistan he doesn't call home to his dutiful wife for over a month. i kept wondering 'when's he gonna call home?' and any plot advanced by a series of 'tragedies,' (and in this book they are legion) shows little more than the writer's inability to craft a meaningful and interesting plot. not only is it pretty poor form, it's also highly manipulative and condescending. i found myself continually frustrated by hosseini's apparent distrust of the reader. we don't have to be told how and when to interpret metaphors. and if i read one more book where the protagonist is a writer or professor, i'm gonna ram my head into a metal post.

i don't want to sound like a misanthrope or jaded literature reader because i'm certainly not. this novel just left me wanting so much more in terms of plot and characterization. having said that, however, the novel could be important in that shows the cruelty of the taliban. much of what hosseini writes about is important, especially for us westerners unfamiliar with the breadth and scope of the afghani tragedy.

in the end, it was worth the $2.00 i paid for it.