The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoseini

The title refers to two of the characters in the novel which are Hassan and Amir. Hassan is a very good friend of Amir and Amir is the narrator of the story. It is a novel about friendship. The story takes place most of the time in Afghanistan but also in the United States: in San Fransisco, California, and in Pakistan.

The book is about how people can be good or bad at different times. The protagonists are two children who grow up together and have a strong relationship (best friends), both of them are from Afghanistan but they have a different background and story. The society changes both of the boys, how they live, the conflicts they face and thus their friendship.
You get to read what it was like living in Afghanistan before the big conflicts approximately 30 years ago. It opens your view and shows you what it was like to be an afghan.

The character I liked most was Hassan because he was Amir’s gentleman (servant) and he took care of stuff - if something bad happened to Amir, Hassan backed him up. Amir could trust him 100 per cent. And during the kite running competitions, Hassan always knew where the kite would fall down. Kite running is where two persons have a kite and they try to cut the rope against each other. The one that falls down has lost and will loose his kite. Kite running was an important part of the boys’ childhood, and this is also reflected in the title of the book. The title also refers to the kite as symbol of freedom.

I really enjoyed reading the book, it had some sad parts and some happy parts. The happy parts are at the beginning of the book, when Amir and Hassan are spending time together during the kite running tournament and the sad part is when something seriously wrong happens to Hassan, further out in the book.

I would recommend this book to people that are on the age 14 and above, because there are some strong parts in the book that may affect you. As I mentioned earlier I enjoyed the book and found it really interesting. I’ve also seen the movie and also recommend you to see it. However I find the book better because it’s more detailed.

Aleksander W. Hansen