Finished this book about a month ago but it's taken me this long to write a review about it because I have such mixed feelings about it. It was a deeply affecting novel, but mostly not in a good way. I really wanted to like it, but the more I think about what I didn't like about the book, the more it bothers me. I even downgraded this review from two stars to one from the time I started writing it to the time I finished.

Let's start off with the good, shall we? The writing itself was pretty good when it comes to description, in that I really felt the author's descriptions of scenes, and in terms of moving the story forward. That said, it's not particularly challenging writing to read.

The very best part of the novel is its warm depiction of the mixed culture of Afghanistan, and how it conveys the picture of a real Afghanistan as a living place, before the coup, the Soviet invasion, and above all, the Taliban and the aftermath of September 11th created a fossilized image in the US of a failed state, petrified in "backwardness" and locked in the role of a villain from central casting.

Now for the not so good.

== Spoiler Alert ==
... because I don't think I'm going to be able to complain about what I didn't like about the book without revealing major plot points. (Not to mention, some of what follows will only make sense to someone who has read the book.) So if you don't want to spoil it for yourself, read no further, here be spoilers:

My overwhelming emotion throughout the book is feeling entirely manipulated. Of course, one major reason for this is that the author's attempts at metaphor, allegory, and forshadowing are utterly ham-fisted. When he wants to make a point, he hits you over the head with it, hard -- Amir's split lip / Hassan's cleft palate comes immediately, resoundingly to mind.

But I feel manipulated beyond that. The members of the servant class in this story suffer tragic, unspeakable calamities, sometimes at the hands of our fine hero, and yet the novel seems to expect the reader to reserve her sympathies for the "wronged" privileged child, beating his breast over the emotional pain of living with the wounds he has selfishly inflicted upon others. How, why, am I supposed to feel worse for him as he feels bad about what he has done to others? Rather than feeling most sympathy and kinship for those who, through absolutely no fault of their own, must suffer, not just once or twice, but again and again?

Of course this elevation of / identification with the "wounded"/flawed hero goes hand in hand with an absolutely detestable portrayal of the members of the servant class as being at their utmost happiest when they are being their most servile and utterly subjugating their own needs, wants, desires, pleasures -- their own selves, in fact -- to the needs of their masters. (Even when they are protecting their masters from their own arrogance, heartlessness, or downright stupidity.)

I don't see how the main character, Amir, could possibly be likeable. Amir's battle with Assef, momentous as it is, is not so much him taking a stand because he feels driven to do so or feels that he must. Rather, he acts with very little self-agency at all -- he is more or less merely carried forward into events. (And, moreover, in the end it is Sohrab (Hassan again) who saves him.)

I finished the novel resenting Amir, and even more intensely resenting the author for trying to make the reader think she's supposed to care about Amir, more than about anyone else in the story.

A couple other points: I'm wondering if one theme of the novel is that there are no definitive happy endings, no single immutable moments of epiphany or redemption. Because Amir's moral "triumph", such as it is, over Assef, is so short-lived. He manages to crash horrifically only a week or two later, when he goes back on his word to Sohrab about his promise not to send him to an orphanage.

And lastly, I don't understand why Baba's hypocrisy is not more of a theme. He makes such a point of drilling into his son's head that a lie is a theft of one's right to the truth. His own hipocrisy there is a profound thing, and it's a shame the author doesn't do more with it.

Nevertheless, after all the bad things I had to say about it, I do have a couple quotes worth keeping:

"Every woman needed a husband. Even if he did silence the song in her." (p.178)

"'That's the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. That's the Afghanistan I know. You? You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it.'" (p. 232)


=== UPDATE ===

I originally posted my review The Kite Runner in February 2008. Since then, my review has generated a very robust response from other Goodreads members. I have responded a couple of times in the comments section, but I realize that by now, the comments section has gotten long enough that some folks may not realize that I have added some clarifications to my review. So, although the extended reply that I posted in the comments section in October 2008 is still available in the comments section, I am re-posting it here, so people don't miss it.

I also want to offer my continued thanks to those who have read, liked, and/or comment on my review of The Kite Runner. This kind of back-and-forth conversation on books is exactly why I signed on to Goodreads! I appreciate the feedback, and look forward to engaging in more such discussion.

Finally, one more quick reply. One recent commenter asked how I could have given this book only a 1 star rating, if I was so affected by it. As I replied in the comments, the short answer is that I am guided by Goodread's prompts when I rate a book. Two stars is "It was OK;" 1 star is "I didn't like it." While I have praised a few things about the book, the bottom line is, overall, I didn't like it. -- Linda, 22 July 2011

Posted 24 October 2008:
There have been many comments to my review since I first wrote it, and I thought it might be about time for me to weigh in for a moment.

Before I get into my response, I must start off with a great thank you for all those who have felt sufficiently moved (positively or negatively) by my review to comment and respond. I appreciate all the comments, whether I agree with them or not.

First of all, I'd like to address the question of whether we're "supposed" to like Amir or not. Yes, I do realize that sometimes writers create and/or focus on a character that the reader is not meant to like. Here, though, the story is clearly meant to be about some kind of redemption -- but I found Amir so distasteful, that I simply wasn't interested in his redemption. The focus of the story was entirely on how Amir's life had been corrupted by the despicable things he'd done - when the things he'd done were entirely part and parcel of the position of power and privilege he occupied over Hassan.

Which brings me to my second point, the insufferable current of paternalism that runs throughout the story. The members of the servant and poorer classes are consistently portrayed as saintly, absurdly self-sacrificing, one-dimensional characters. Regardless of what terrible things befall them, they are shown to have nothing but their masters' interests at heart. Granted, it may be unlikely that the powerless would be overtly talking back and setting their masters straight; however, the novel gives no indication that they even have any private wishes of recrimination, or much of a private life, for that matter. Given this portrayal, it is even more difficult for me to muster any interest in Amir's suffering. But to suggest that perhaps we're misinterpreting the servants' subservient attitudes because we approach the story from a different time, place, or culture, is simply to engage in a cultural relativism borne out of -- and perpetuating -- the very same paternalism.

To clarify my point, let's look at some comparable examples from US culture. Consider any one of a huge number of films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Clara's Heart, Bagger Vance, or Ghost (all simply continuing a tradition that reaches back to Shirley Temple's days) in which noble servants or similar helpers have absolutely no concern in their lives other than making sure the wealthy people they are serving have happy, fulfilled lives -- while they themselves never seem to have any of their own personal hopes, desires, triumphs, tragedies, or even any hint of a home, family, personal, or romantic life at all. Their total happiness is bound up entirely with serving the lives of their rich counterparts. It is this quality, present throughout Hosseini's book, that bothers me most.

In the end, however, a beautifully written story could have overcome these criticisms -- or at the very least, I would have been able to temper or counter my points above with lavish praise for the writing. However, here, again, the novel falls flat. It is not particularly well-written. As some other commenters have also pointed out, the storytelling is quite heavy-handed, and the narrative suffers from implausible plot twists and uncanny coincidences, and a writing style that relies far too heavily on cliches and obvious literary devices.

I wish that I could say I liked the book more. To answer [another commenter's] question, I haven't read A Thousand Splendid Suns; I'm afraid I wasn't particularly motivated to do so after my reaction to this one. However, I do believe, as that commenter also suggests, that there is something to be gained from the debate and discussion that the book has inspired.

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...

I loved A thousand Splendid Suns and I was expecting to have the same feelings for The Kite Runner. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Maybe I was more interested in the subject of women's rights in Afghanistan and it made my sympathies with the main characters. I was moved by the women's struggle whereas the story of Amir failed to impress me.

I have to be honest. I despised Amir from the first page and my feelings did not changed throughout the book. I know it should not be a reason for not appreciating a book and I agree with that when I read a literature masterpiece such as Hunger, The Trial or Crime and Punishment. However, here is not the case. In Khaled Hosseini books, if you are not touched by the characters, the magic of the book is gone as he manipulates you into feeling in a certain way and cry your eyes out at the end. It worked with A thousand Splendid Suns. No so much here. Maybe the timing was wrong.

Even if I hated the MC I still enjoyed Khaled Hosseini writing style.

عانيت كثيرا من ضيق فى التنفس أثناء قراءتى لهذه الرواية , و خصوصا الجزء الأول, الأمر الذى كان له أثر على معدل قراءتى لها حتى اكتشفت أن ما اعترانى لم تكن حالة مرضية و إنما من فرط حبس أنفاسي خلال القراءة لهفة و شوقا إلى متابعة الأحداث *
*حدث بالفعل

ملاحظاتى العامة عن الرواية كانت فى تفوق جزئها الأول كثيرا عن أجزاء خروج البطل من دياره , و التى تحولت الأحداث فيها أحيانا إلى أحداثا عادية مكملة فقط للحكاية , و أحداثا أخرى توقعتها و أشعرتنى كأننى أشاهد "فيلما هنديا" مبالغا بعض الشئ.
:)

هى رواية عن الوعود و التى يجب أن تعنيها حين إطلاقها , عن التمايز العرقى و الطبقى و حتى التمايز الأخلاقى.

أكدت لى الرواية أمرا لطالما به اقتنعت ; يختصره التعبير الانجليزى القائل
"Never take anybody for granted"
بمعنى أنه عندما يتعلق الأمر بالبشر , فلا مسلمات , فأصحاب الأنساب و الأصول العريقة ليسوا بالضرورة شرفاء , و المنتمون إلى أعراق أقل تاريخا ليسوا بالضرورة خائنين أو محل احتقار , فكل منا هو فعله و عمله وكلمته التى تحرره أو تبقيه سجين الحنث بالوعد.

بحديثه عن الأوطان و البلاد التى لا تهم سيرتها أحد , وضع خالد حسينى أفغانستان على الخريطة.

کف راهروی سرد مدرسه راهنمایی می‌نشستم و این کتاب رو می‌خوندم. گاهی کتاب رو انقدر محکم می‌گرفتم که جای دست‌هام روی کتاب می ‌موند. اون روزها بیشتر وقت‌ها حس خفه شدن داشتم و مریض هم بودم. کتاب‌ها رو مثل یک پتو با خودم می‌بردم تا آرومم کنند و بین کتاب ریاضی و ادبیات مخفیشون می‌کردم

یادمه وقتی این کتاب رو می‌خوندم دیگه اونجا نبودم. با امیر و حسن بازی می‌کردم و حسادت می‌کردم و قربانی می‌شدم و فرار می‌کردم و جبران می‌کردم. هیچوقت تجربه‌ی خواندن این داستان رو نمی‌تونم فراموش کنم و بعد از این همه سال هنوز انگار دیروز تمومش کردم. بعضی کتاب‌ها روی وجود آدم برای همیشه خط می‌اندازند

ای کاش الان می‌تونستم برای اولین بار بخونمش

۹۹.۱.۷

”For you, a thousand times over.”

We are currently experiencing some expressional difficulties.



Should be back in business once emotions are in full functioning mode.

n  n
Evocative, invigorating, heart-wrenching, riveting, realistic, poignant, complex, brilliant, emotional, gripping, intriguing. I can use many more words to describe this book. Still, I will feel that it is not enough.

The story of the extraordinary friendship between Amir and Hassan told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan will incontrovertibly move your heart and bring some tears to your eyes. If you are a person who reads only 5-6 books a year, this one should be at the top of your reading list.

—————————————————————————
n  You can also follow me on n
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“For you, a thousand times over”   

Please check TW before starting this book. This is one of the darkest, most effective, heart wrenching stories.

Khaled Hosseini - image from The Washington Post

This is a wonderful, moving novel set in the Afghanistan of the early 70’s and of today, about a young boy and his friend growing up in Kabul. Amir desperately wants his father’s approval, but Baba is not quick to give it. He is a rich man, brimming with macho vibrancy, while his son is a different sort altogether. Amir is fast friends with Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. They are as close as brothers. But, beset by bullies, an event occurs that changes Amir’s life. There is much death and horror in this portrait of a tortured country. But there is also emotional richness, and a look into the inner life. By the end of the book there was not a dry eye in the house. It is recommended unreservedly. A wonderful tale, movingly told.

➳ 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"

Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com

'The Kite Runner' had been sitting on my TBR list for years. I kept putting it off because while I was sure that it would be a fantastic book, it isn't the type of smutty romance that I usually read. I knew that I'd have to be in the right kind of mood to read it. Finally, I found myself wanting to read something a little different to break me out of a reading rut and I downloaded the Audible version of 'The Kite Runner' and started listening.

As expected, this book was nothing like my usual love stories. This book is the type of book that makes you think about your life and reevaluate your values and what you think you know. It is the type of book that makes you question what you'd do in a given situation if the tables were turned.

If you're like me, and have always been blessed to live in a country where you've never experienced the brutality and terror of warfare firsthand, this book serves as a reminder of how lucky you truly are. As a woman, and a mother of two daughters, I cannot begin to express how grateful I am that I was born in a country where women are treated as equals. Sure, there are still some inequalities. However, when I think of how women are treated in many other regions of the world, I am incredibly thankful to have the freedoms that I do.

I won't rehash this story, because it's been done a million times already and I don't think there's anything I could say that hasn't been said already. However, I will say that this was a wonderful book. It was grim, brutal and depressing, but also beautiful at times. It was emotional and infuriating, but you can't say that you didn't "feel" while reading this one. I experienced a full range of emotions.

In the end, it grounded me and put all of my petty gripes into perspective. We all need to be reminded of how blessed we are at times. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for an emotional and enlightening story.

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...