The Kite Runner

A great piece of political fiction about life and in particular the friendship of 2 boys growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many of us knew of Afghanistan as a country swamped with terrorists, the Taliban, warfare, executions, denial of women rights, terror and suicide bombers. But Kabul, Afghanistan during the larger part of the 20th century was not like that. In fact, it was a very peaceful country, has many beautiful bazaars and shops, movie theatres, cabarets, great food, parks and many schools and universities where women are both educators as well as learners.

All these changed after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the cycles of war crept in and grew worse over time. The Kite Runner is set against the dramatic background of 1970s Afghanistan, the Soviet war, the Taliban regime and all the way to 2005. It is about 2 boys growing up - Amir is the young son of an admired and wealthy Kabul businessman and Hassan, son of their poor servant Ali, is his companion.
The two boys are inseparable, playing together and working as a team, most notably in the annual kite-fighting competition in Kabul. Yet in an Afghanistan divided by ethnicity, the Hazara underclass to which Hassan belongs does not attend school or learn to read. Hassan lives in the mud hut at the bottom of Amir’s garden.

Yet despite his privileges, Amir above all seeks approval from his Baba (father), who despairs of his son’s inability to perform to his own standards. Amir cannot play football, has no stomach for a fight and is regularly carsick. He writes great stories, a talent in which Baba has no interest. It is Hassan who seems to have the skills and courage Baba looks for in Amir.

In his determination to win the admiration of Baba, Amir finds ways to humiliate Hassan, who will do anything Amir asks. But he is unable to provoke him and thus assuage his own guilty feelings. Amir’s failure to protect his friend from a vicious attack by three local boys leads to an unspeakable tragedy. And that's when the best part of the story enfolds. Read the book to know the ending.

By the way, there is a movie made with the same title.