Story Of A Kite Runner

When a story never leaves your heart and you are forever recalling the characters and theme, you can say that the writer was successful in weaving magic of whatever he likes to his readers. The Kite Runner is an amazing book that belongs to the above-mentioned criteria. Khaled Hosseini’s portrayal of the two young boys on the backdrop of a falling Afghanistan is sure to leave the readers in tears.

The story goes through not just the boys and their life but also through the various phases of Afghanistan. Therefore, unvaryingly, the story is about the country too. The writer plays with the emotions of his readers by carefully extrapolating the beautiful, sorrowful and joyful moments in the story. The main character, or rather the flawed protagonist, Amir, sure made our minds wallow along with him when he made a mistake. His flaw of cowardice is shown when he did not stand up for Hassan when the latter was raped. The rape scene was the defining moment in the story.

The story shifts back and forth with the theme of guilt and redemption. When I read the story, I went through the mind of Amir. I was Amir and I felt the guilt and later the coolness of attaining redemption that the character was painfully seeking. Hosseini was able to transfer me to Afghanistan, where I was flying the kites, sitting under the pomegranate tree where the protagonist read a story to Hassan. The presence of Taliban points out the fear and loneliness that Afghans feel.

We feel a lot when we skip the pages of The Kite Runner. This is the kind of book that we will re-read multiple times just because we feel so. It is not just a feel good story but rather a story that tugs the strings in your heart and makes you feel things. Only a few good writers can do that and certainly, Khaled Hosseini is one among them. Definitely, this book is a must-read and undeniably a masterpiece.