The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

***** A.G. 2018
I loved this book because, even though it is a brutal book, it helps me personally to see a culture I otherwise never would have seen. Yes, the book is full of brutality, sorrow, mourning, and depressing content, but throughout the journey of Amir, I saw a message of hope and loyalty. There’s always hope, even in the most brutal, sad, or depressing times, there’s always hope. Yes, there are scenes in the book, like the torture of Hassan by Assef by being loyal to Amir and retrieving the kite, or the “fight” between Assef and Amir so Amir could repay his debt to Hassan by finding Sohrab and taking him to a good home, or when Sohrab tries to kill himself at the thought of going back to an orphanage after saving the life of Amir, but throughout that there is still hope. Hassan leaves and ends up getting married. Amir is saved by the young Sohrab with his slingshot. Sohrab doesn’t die, doesn’t end up going to an orphanage, and he ends up getting adopted into a loving family by Amir and his wife, Soraya. This message of hope and loyalty is evident throughout the book.

**** C.H. 2018
I also liked this book. I agree that this did help me personally see the Afghanistan culture through a different lense than i had previously before. But the story line of the novel was just to sad for me to give it a 5 star. I audio booked the story, and the rape scene actually made me turn it off at one point. That was a tough scene to listen too, however it was essential to the story because it set up Amir's attitude and mindset for the remainder of the novel because he was motivated to redeem himself after not helping Hassan. At first Amir seemed like he was running away from his guilt, he chose to ignore and be rude to Hassan which in turn made him feel worse. Then his move to America Physically moved him away, and as he grew in age, so did his guilt. When Rahim Khan called him back home, he chose to head back and was told of Hassan's death and how he was actually his step brother. This took his guilt to a Whole new level. So when Khan asked if he would bring back Sohrab (Hassan's son, and his nephew), he pounced at the idea to make things right. This novel is a tale of redemption. it is set up in the beginning and portrayed in the end. I would recommend this book, permitting that you can deal with many sad turns of events. All in all Good story, Very sad.