Kite Runner CaseBook: The Kite RunnerBatool Ali March 10, 2005Tags: bookBook ReviewAuthor: Khaled HosseiniPublisher:Every now and then, a book comes along that makes you think. Kite runner affected me in ways I had not anticipated.Based on the story of two friends growing up in the Afghanistan, the long forgotten Afghanistan of beautiful architecture, peace and song, the book takes one into the mind of the protagonist Amir who loves flying kites and making an impression on his striking, domineering father. It is the kinship between Amir and his friend Hasan that forms the backbone of the plot and exposes the class, ethnic and social issues that Afghans and perhaps all South Asians face even today.
The Case for the Book
by
(Written for the 5th Century B.C./C.E.M.)
Kite Runner was just the beginning of a series of novels and a memoir-cum-diary about one of the most important and pivotal chapters in the history of the Afghan military, the Battle of Kite Run. A unique feature of this book is its portrayal of the experiences of a young Afghan soldier in his 21st and 22nd Divisions, whose combat experience began in the field of bombing campaigns. As noted above, these are soldiers of the Islamic Emirate, the ‘Mujahideen’. It is this unit of infantry that most often plays a decisive role in the struggles of war-or the struggle-against the enemies of Islam, or of the other Sunnis themselves, such as the Taliban, or, more recently, Shiites, or Shia.
The Kite Runner has been well received but ultimately, there is little in the way of substance, but in the writing with this type of author, a little bit of background and some serious consideration are given. If there is a conflict between the Sunnis of a conflict which I am not an expert in, its outcome is far from certain, but perhaps because it is far from our society, how in all probability can these characters have their own personal stories and histories?
For years, the most prominent example and the first to be published was the legendary Persian fighter, Saadiq Saadiq, a man known as the ‘Empire’s Best Fighter’, the man who led the U.S. Army of the Gulf War, the first major battle of the Persian Gulf War (July 17, 2003) which took place in Suez between Iraq and Afghanistan. In this book Khaled Hosseini does not just write the story of what his heroes suffered and became and what they became, but also shows an extraordinary willingness to look and to see beyond their own personal experiences in any manner. He presents a view, from the beginning through the second half, that this ‘Great War’ never could have happened in Afghanistan or Afghanistan alone. Nor does he provide a single story which should be left to the reader to determine. The book begins with an important encounter which, once he has done the research and is able to judge the stories they have told from his own personal experience, establishes the true circumstances for his actions.
From the second half until the end of this book, the story of Saadiq Saadiq begins to speak not of his own battles but about in-battle experiences. These are often of his sons’ own sons, family, comrades, and enemies, while also sometimes of his father’s comrades. We know very little about his
The Kite runner is a book of fiction but in the depths of the fictitious characters lie deep, entrenched problems of our society, the legacy of the Taliban, the little known massacres of anonymous Hazaras in Afghanistan, the servant-master relationship, the pains of living a life full of fear and the devotion of one Hazara boy to his young master.
The Kite runner is a book that subtly exposes what our history books conceal and does so in a personal, very emotional way that makes for mesmerizing reading. One feels sympathetic towards the characters in a way that you want to help them, release them from their misery, rescue them from the shackles of imprisonment and childhood depression as well as sexual abuse. Amir and Hasan are the quintessential friends who despite class differences, cultural distinctions and parents come together and reunite.
The book is a tear jerker and for good reasons. Hussaini masters the art of capturing the moment, and succinctly describing