THE KITE RUNNER

KHALED HOSSEINI

"When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing "

The above lines convey a deep meaning that every sin is just a variation of theft. Throughout life, everyone commits one or more such sins. Sometimes such mistakes lead to a never-ending feeling of regret. When guilt creeps, one desperately tries to redeem and make everything right. However, when that mistake betrays the trust of your loved one, especially your best friend, it haunts life long. The author penned a similar haunting and devasting story of two friends in this book. Hosseini unfolded the tale of love, loss and betrayal in his signature writing style, heart-wrenching and shattering.

 The story is about two best friends, Amir and Hassan, living in Kabul back in 1975. Amir was a rich Pushtun, the upper community of Afghanistan. His father was rich yet a kind businessman. They used to live in a big, two-storey bungalow. Ali and his son Hassan were servants in Amir's home. Hassan was Hazara, a minority community of Afganistan. Amir's father never used to treat Ali and Hassan as servants but as family members. Hasan and Amir were of the same age. Hassan's mother left him right after his birth and never showed later and, Amir's mother died during his delivery. Both Amir and Hassan were motherless and fed from the same woman in their infancy. They were not only friends but beyond that, they were brothers from another mother. They both used to play in the backyard, watch movies in the theatre, hike hill and read storybooks for hours.

Amir's father was a nobleman. He generously contributed to Kabul's welfare in one and other ways. He always used to stand with righteousness. Amir and his father had strained relations in his childhood. One reason was that his father held Amir responsible for his wife's death. And, another was his father always wanted his son to be brave and courageous. But, Amir was shallow and timid. Hence, Amir used to try hard for making his father proud. Amir was good at writing story. However, his father never appreciated him. It was his father's friend Rahim Khan who used to encourage Amir to write stories. Hassan was courageous, kind and loyal. He always used to protect Amir from other badmash boys. 

Every year Amir and Hassan used to desperately wait for the kite tournament. The kite tournament was a famous event in Kabul that used to get organized yearly during winter vacations. Amir was very good at kiting and, Hasan was his kite runner. On the day of the tournament, Amir and Hassan were at their best. Apparently, they won the game. When Hassan was running the last defeated kite, a badmash gang forcefully stopped him and started torturing him. Assef, their head who had grudges with Hassan for saving Amir from him in the past, wanted vengeance badly. He not only beat Hassan but physically molested him. Amir was watching everything from a distance, deliberately avoiding Hassan's eyesight. Amir was shocked and terrified but had not enough courage to rescue Hassan. Instead, he ran away to save his own life. Hassan saw Amir when he was running. And, after that, their life changed upside down.

Amir started to avoid Hassan out of guilt. He wanted Hassan to get angry with him, lash out and ask for justification for his coward act the previous day. But Hassan was calm. Hassan didn't keep any grudges. However, remorse was becoming a burden on Amir. He knew he made a mistake but, he was afraid to admit it. Instead of saying sorry, he imposed fake charges of theft on Hassan. And, finally, he succeeded to avoid Hassan by sending him not only out of home but out of town also. Soon after that, a new political wind started flowing in Afganistan. The country went into a state of anarchy. Kabul didn't remain a safe place to live. Amir's baba decided to leave Kabul, they went to America. Life in America was much different than in their hometown. Amir used to badly miss Kabul and Hassan but never tried to contact him.
Gradually, Amir and his baba were getting used to their new life in the USA. Amir continued his schooling. He graduated from high school and opted for the stream he always wanted, creative writing. Around the same time, Amir met an Afghan girl, Soraya. He instantly fell for her. They used to meet often and, Amir used to tell the stories he wrote. Soraya was also in love with Amir. However, they both knew that Amir's baba won't give permission to their Nikah because Soraya was a widow. Days were passing fine until baba detected lung cancer. With each passing day, baba's condition was deteriorating. Amir was terrified about his father's bad health, the early age responsibilities and his lonely future. Baba realized Amir's fears and decided to approve his love for Soraya. Amir and Soraya got engaged in a small ceremony. In few days after Nikah, Amir's baba passed away. Soon, Amir completed his education and became a writer. He wrote two books that did a pretty good sell. His marriage life with Soraya was going happily. After 2-3 years in marriage, Amir and Soraya were hoping to become parents. Unfortunately, Soraya was not able to conceive a child. They tried many treatments but, none was working. 
 One summer morning, Amir received a call from Pakistan. It was Rahim Khan, his baba's friend. Rahim khan told about his illness and expressed his last desire to meet him. Amir was not sure initially about his trip to Pakistan because it would bring back the memories he confined in his heart. The regret and remorse. Eventually, he gathered courage and decided to go. He went to Pakistan and met Rahim khan. Rahim Khan told Amir about what happened back in Kabul, his search for Hassan and his family. Rahim Khan brought Hassan back to Kabul and, they all were living happily. He showed a picture of Hassan, his wife and his only son Sohrab. Amir was moved after listening to him. However, he was truly shaken when Rahim khan told him that Hassan was his half brother and his baba's illegitimate child. It was a big revelation for Amir to handle. He was feeling shocked and betrayed simultaneously. Lastly, he told Amir that Hassan and his wife were shot dead by Taliban soldiers after Rahim khan left for Pakistan. Sohrab was sent to an orphanage. He wanted Amir to bring his half-brother's son to Pakistan and admit him to a better and safe orphanage in Pakistan that he knew. And, Amir agreed.
Rahim Khan did all the necessary arrangements and, Amir left for Afghanistan. Afganistan was changed a lot in past years. Poverty, hunger, lack of basic needs were utterly visible in every part of it. It saddened Amir. He went to the orphanage where Sohrab was admitted. But, he was told that a Talibani soldier took Sohrab with him a few days back. To his surprise, the Talibani soldier who took in Sohrab was none other but his old rival, Assef. The same Assef who molested Hassan and was doing the same with his son too. Amir felt disgusted. He requested him to hand over Sohrab to him. But, Assef was not ready and wanted to settle their old rivalry. A brawl started between Amir and Assef. When it was clear that Amir would not make it, Sohrab shot a metal ball with his sling at Aseef's eye and, they manage to skedaddle. Amir was seriously injured so, he blacked out shortly after he reached the car safely with Sohrab. 
When Amir opened his eyes, he was on the hospital bed and, Sohrab was sitting in front of him. When he started feeling better, he tried to contact Rahim Khan. However, Rahim khan was vanished and left a letter for Amir. Another shocking news Amir got that there was no orphanage existing that Rahim khan was referring to. He remembered Rahim Khan's words over the phone about a chance for Amir to become good again. Today he got what he wanted to say. He well understood why Rahim Khan did this all.
Amir called back to the USA and told everything to Soraya. He expressed his desire to adopt Sohrab. Soraya happily accepted. Meanwhile, Sohrab started to grow little affinity towards Amir. Amir assured Sohrab that he would not let him go to the orphanage ever again. But, adopting and getting a visa was no cakewalk at all. Amir tried many things, met with many lawyers. He got disappointments from everywhere. On the other side, Soraya was trying hard to make it happen by using her contacts in the USA. The only way Amir had was to follow the process of the orphan petition. As it would take a while, he had to keep Soharab in Pakistan at some orphanage. When Amir told that to Sohrab, his little heart broke. A small faith he could gather was lost. The sadness crept on his face.
On the same day, Amir got a call from Soraya and, she confirmed that there could be a way to make everything happen. Amir was so happy and, he directly went to the bathroom where Sohrab was taking the bath. But, Amir shocked when he saw Sohrab. Sohrab was laid on the floor in blood, lifeless. He was so suffered in past that he thought death an easy option than going back to the orphanage. Sohrab lost lots of blood before Amir admitted him to the hospital. There were very few chances of his survival. Amir prayed for the first time. He prayed too hard and, God actually listened to his prayers. The doctor saved Sohrab. When Sohrab gained consciousness, he didn't talk with Amir, not with anyone. He was silent. After few days, Amir went to the USA with Sohrab. Everyone was happy except Sohrab. He was dreary. He never smiled and used to barely talk to anyone. Amir and Soraya tried everything to cheer him up but, nothing was working.
 Days were passing likewise until one day, a miracle happened. That day, Amir went to an Afghan gathering with his family. People were playing kites there, an idea struck in Amir's mind. He grabbed a kite, started flying and shot down a kite. A curve of a smile flashed on Sohrab's face. So, Amir grabbed the opportunity and asked if he could run the defeated kite. And, when he nodded, Amir ran like a child, like Hassan. Amir was ready to run thousands of times over for Sohrab like Hassan used to for him. The incident didn't make anything all right but, he saw a ray of hope. He knew that 'when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time', and that incident was like melting of a first snowflake.

Link to purchase book-The kite runner