Assignment from Joseph's blog
 

 After
Book Review

The Kite Runner  by Khaled Hosseini
Anchor Canada edition published 2004

The book tells us the heart-gripping story of two young boys growing up in Afghanistan, Amir and Hasan. It is a story based on the friendship and hardships that take place between the two boys, two religious views, two worldviews, and two castes. The book focuses on Amir’s tough journey to find forgiveness, purpose, and redemption. The author states the theme of redemption at the onset of the book when Amir is told, “There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini).

The vividness and uniqueness of the story make the book undeniably engaging from the start. It is as though one is not merely reading a story but experiencing the story through the text. The characters are powerful, sympathetic, and relatable. The plot unfolds at an excellent pace so that the suspense is built up but still leaves ample room for the reader’s speculation. The setting is Afghanistan before, during, and after the Soviet invasion. Amir, the protagonist, flees to California where he learns a new language, graduates high school and college, and becomes a successful writer. One of my favourite motifs of this book is the manner in which the author brings to life his Afghan culture. One way he accomplishes this is to sprinkle words or short phrases of an Afghan language throughout the entire book giving the text aesthetics and authenticity.

As the story develops it is quickly evident that Amir has a deeply embedded desire to correct his wrongs, undo his bad judgements, and redeem himself. He returns to Afghanistan, endangers his life, rescues his half-brother’s child, and brings him back to California. However, even after all that he endures and accomplishes, he cannot confirm if he has tilted the scales in his favour. The question still remains: Did he do enough to make himself “good again”? Still there are other questions that remain unanswered: Was everything that he did good in and of itself? Who decides the merit of the deeds? Is that measurement objective or subjective? Who decides which deeds are counted in his favour and which deeds are counted against him? Does the end justify the means? If so, does this position lend itself to subjectivism?

Rough Draft
Book Review

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini tells us the heart- gripping story of two young boys growing up in Afghanistan, Amir and Hasan.  It is a story based around the friendship and hardships that take place between the two boys, two different religious views, two different views of the world, two different caste classes. The book focuses on Amir’s tough journey to find forgiveness, purpose, and redemption. The author states the theme of redemption on the onset of the book when Amir is told, “There is a way to be good again.”(Hosseini, pg.2)

The vividness and uniqueness of the story makes the book undeniably engaging from the start. It is as though one is not merely reading a story but experiencing the story through the text. The characters are powerful, sympathetic, and relatable. The plot is carried out at an excellent pace so that the suspense is built up but still leaves ample room for the reader’s speculation. The setting is Afghanistan before, during, and after the Soviet invasion. Amir, the protagonist, flees to California where he learns a new language, graduates high school and college, and becomes a successful writer. One of my favourite motifs of this book is the manner in which the author brought to life his Afghan culture. One way he accomplishes this is to sprinkle words or short phrases of the Afghan language throughout the entire book giving the text beautiful esthetics and giving the reader a taste of his society.

As the story develops it is quickly evident that Amir has a deeply embedded desire to correct his wrongs, undo his bad judgement, and redeem himself. He returns to Afghanistan, endangers his life, rescues his half-brother’s child, and brings him back to California. However, even after all that he endures and accomplishes, he cannot confirm if he has balanced the scales in his favour. The question still remains: Did he do enough to make himself “good again”? Still there are other questions that remain unanswered: Was everything that he did good in and of itself? Who measures the deeds? Is that measurement objective or subjective? Who decides which deeds are counted in his favour and which deeds counted against him ? Do the means justify the end? If not, where is the line that should not be crossed?