The Kite Runner

Since I was so fond of Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, I decided to take a look at another one of his books that had been recommended to me, The Kite Runner. I found this book equally intriguing though very similar to A Thousand Splendid Suns. Also a coming-of-age novel, the story highlights the strong personal relationship between two unlikely individuals, although in this case males.

I have to say that if I enjoyed this book more it would be because of the deeper level of character development as well as twists in the plot that held my attention until the very end. The story spans a large geographical area as well, beginning in Afghanistan and following Baba and Amir to America in the 80s. Amir's perspective on life in Afghanistan is hindered, though, by his upper class status- which Amir himself realizes late in the novel. Hosseini is able to capture how even the lives of the wealthy change after immigrating to America.

A beautiful image that the book leaves me with is the Afghani tradition of kite tournaments. Instead of focusing only on the bad and the ugly of war, Hosseini takes us into the mind of a young boy who, despite the hardships surrounding him, is able to see the colorful images filling the sky, feel the blood from the cuts of the kite string, and enjoy the rush of being the last kite left in the sky. For me this was one of the most important moments; again, giving life and depth to the characters that are so often portrayed so differently from what they are.

The relationships in the book are incredibly portrayed; from the brotherly love between Amir and Hassan to the lifelong struggle for acceptance between Amir and his father. Overall, the book is a generally easy and powerful read that gives a brief overview of life in Afghanistan amidst war and an oppressive regime.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

In this book, Hosseini follows the lives of two Afghani women in the late 20^th century. The women in the story are born into extremely different circumstances. Mariam, the elder of the two, grows up poor on the outskirts of her village. She is raised by her mother, who teaches her that education is worthless for women, and whose own mental illnesses keeps her from showing Mariam a mother’s unconditional love. Mariam is forced to marry young and soon finds that she is nearly worthless (by society’s standards) to the man who has married her. Laila, on the other hand, is a beautiful, intelligent young woman, deeply valued by her father who keeps nothing out of her reach, including her education. She is expected to do great things and bring honor to her family. Hosseini’s merging of these two characters’ lives highlights for the reader that war spares no one. These women both fall victim to oppression and despair, which brings them closer together than anyone may imagine.

One of the most startling scenes in the book took place in a hospital during the regime of the Taliban. Laila was in labor, and was forced to travel to a women’s hospital. Upon her arrival, she finds the hospital dirty and without anesthetic. A nurse if forced to keep watch during surgery lest the doctor be found performing surgery without her burka.

Although the book is most likely overly used as the ONLY source on the Middle East in secondary English courses, its value should not be taken for granted. Hosseini’s story paints a picture of a wounded Afghanistan, and highlights specific lives within the struggle. Any attempt to engage young readers in a sympathetic portrait of the people of the Middle East is an improvement over the way in which they are too commonly dehumanized in the majority of readily available popular culture.