The Kite Runner blog post; why I enjoyed it

I really enjoyed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I found myself engrossed by it, and even though it's cliché, found it hard to put the book down. I think what appealed to me so much was the way he developed the characters.

It was clear early on that Amir, the main character, wanted nothing more than his father's affection and pride. As a child he was driven by the pursuit of gaining that love, a task that he always seemed to fail at. As a reader, because of Hosseini's character development, I wanted Amir's father to be proud of him just as much as Amir himself wanted it. So when Amir won the kite fighting contest and sees  him “standing on the edge..pumping both fists...And right there was the single greatest moment of my...life” (66). I was happy because I had been emotionally invested in Amir. Then when Amir sees Hassan being raped and does nothing, he could have stepped “into that alley, stand up for Hassan-the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past… Or I could run” (77). Amir chose to run and forsake Hassan. I was upset at Amir and literally couldn't keep reading the book for a little while, it was just so disappointing to see. As the story, and Amir’s life goes on, he grows up, moves to America, seemingly repairs his relationship with his father. He gets married, and has established a healthy life for himself. Hosseini has developed his character into a man with little turmoil or trouble inside. But, his past never left him. When he’s summoned back to Afghanistan at the request of a dying friend, he realizes he has to confront his demons that held him back from saving Hassan all those years ago. He overcomes his fear by confronting the Taliban in Kabul and rescuing Hassan’s orphaned son. I really enjoyed both the atonement aspect of what he did, and the way Hosseini brought his character back to a situation where he had to fully develop, he had to face his fears and stand up for himself.

The other character that really drew me into The Kite Runner was Hassan. Hosseini does a wonderful job of having the reader establish an emotional connection with Hassan. It’s impossible to not become connected with this innocent boy who would do anything for his best friend. But through the first person narration, we know that Amir doesn’t really feel the same way for Hassan. Knowing that devotion is one sided made me feel more attached to Hassan. He was a perfect person who was treated terribly. I think Hosseini made a conscious decision to make it impossible to not become emotionally connected to his characters through the way he developed them. I certainly was attached to them, and really enjoyed the book because of it.