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rberdan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Kite Runner is devastating and beautifully written. There are many content warnings to heed. I had to take breaks because of the heaviness, but that speaks also to how rich the storytelling was. Set in Afghanistan and the United States, this is a story of family trauma and secrets, betrayal, redemption, unconditional love, friendship, war, violence, class, power, and immigration. Yes, it’s a lot, and woven together artfully.
From the joy of kite running to graphic abuse to the complexities of relationship, I felt so much of this book deeply. I’m a white woman from the Global North, so there are many aspects of this book that are far from my own lived experiences, and yet the desire to undo regret and redeem oneself, to simply be loved by those we admire most, and to get away from kindness that feels undeserved… these are things I can relate to. While I know conceptually of the history of the Taliban and of issues with immigration, there is an immersive reality in the storytelling that allowed me to understand in a different way. There is a recurring theme of shame and being loved anyway that is truly beautiful and touching.
Amir’s own self loathing is so beautifully captured that I found myself struggling to like him much. Seeing his family and Hassan through his eyes was so interesting as I got to love them along with him. I ultimately could feel compassion for him as he found his way to loving others. I struggled to forgive him as he struggled to forgive himself, even though his greatest regret was still something he did (or didn’t do) as a child.
All of that said, I also felt that there was almost too much “other people are good and I’m bad” in the story. I get that it’s Amir’s point of view, and I also feel that there’s more nuance than this in who we are as humans.
In the end, I absolutely adored Sohrab and my heart broke for all that he’d endured at such a young age. I ended the book with so much hope for what could be on the other side of his early days.
From the joy of kite running to graphic abuse to the complexities of relationship, I felt so much of this book deeply. I’m a white woman from the Global North, so there are many aspects of this book that are far from my own lived experiences, and yet the desire to undo regret and redeem oneself, to simply be loved by those we admire most, and to get away from kindness that feels undeserved… these are things I can relate to. While I know conceptually of the history of the Taliban and of issues with immigration, there is an immersive reality in the storytelling that allowed me to understand in a different way. There is a recurring theme of shame and being loved anyway that is truly beautiful and touching.
Amir’s own self loathing is so beautifully captured that I found myself struggling to like him much. Seeing his family and Hassan through his eyes was so interesting as I got to love them along with him. I ultimately could feel compassion for him as he found his way to loving others. I struggled to forgive him as he struggled to forgive himself, even though his greatest regret was still something he did (or didn’t do) as a child.
All of that said, I also felt that there was almost too much “other people are good and I’m bad” in the story. I get that it’s Amir’s point of view, and I also feel that there’s more nuance than this in who we are as humans.
In the end, I absolutely adored Sohrab and my heart broke for all that he’d endured at such a young age. I ended the book with so much hope for what could be on the other side of his early days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, and Classism
clarizzalaine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Heartbreaking book. I’m not very educated of what’s going on in Afghanistan so I appreciate that this book gave me an idea of the tragedy there. There’s really no slow moments here and I felt like everything in the book was detrimental to the story.
The main character is very real and flawed and had great development. I’m sad but also happy with how everything turned out.
The main character is very real and flawed and had great development. I’m sad but also happy with how everything turned out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
count_of_carabas's review against another edition
Rape
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Classism
theraindiary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Infertility, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, and Alcohol
drrb_bk's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Compelling story-building, truly a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
shbrt252's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Brought tears to my eyes. The story of immigration from a war stricken county to the United States. Building a new life. Beautiful story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Violence, and War
xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Infertility
kakankatten6000's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I would like to preface this review by saying that I read the Swedish translation of this book, therefore some small details may be different from the original work.
I really enjoyed this book, it had a profound affect on me. In hindsight the plot is quite simple not that it does not allow for thought; Its simple yet impactful story is one of its biggest strengths.
There are few books that are emotionally powerful enough to make me cry, this book did make me tear eyed at several moments but one part made tears run down my face:
Amirs dad dies of cancer only a few weeks following Amir finally getting married to his long-spun crush. To see that Baba died a happy man felt so deserving and made me incredibly emotional.
I have immense respect for Khaled as a author, managing to summon such great emotion in me. I am incredibly grateful for the emotional experience this book gave me.
The book also documents Afghanistan's tragic history and the Taliban's brutal regime. Maybe not super accurately but it gives you a basic understanding, this really builds the world around you and you cant help but get consumed by the tail.
The book has quite large religious undertones which I enjoyed personally. I am not religious but I do find the the concept of fate very interesting which the plot is quite centralised around.
I did find the middle part of the story quite slow and boring. It did of course have several great moments, but I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it could've been a little bit more densely packed. Despite this the build-up was worth it and the ending was truly amazing. To put in perspective if I could rate the parts of the story independently:
Intro: 4.75
Middle: 3
Ending: 5
I recommend this book if you enjoy stories surrounding the complexity of human relations, fate, want to read a fiction built around real life events, or enjoy stories of characters going from assholes to heroes.
Thanks Leo
I really enjoyed this book, it had a profound affect on me. In hindsight the plot is quite simple not that it does not allow for thought; Its simple yet impactful story is one of its biggest strengths.
There are few books that are emotionally powerful enough to make me cry, this book did make me tear eyed at several moments but one part made tears run down my face:
I have immense respect for Khaled as a author, managing to summon such great emotion in me. I am incredibly grateful for the emotional experience this book gave me.
The book also documents Afghanistan's tragic history and the Taliban's brutal regime. Maybe not super accurately but it gives you a basic understanding, this really builds the world around you and you cant help but get consumed by the tail.
The book has quite large religious undertones which I enjoyed personally. I am not religious but I do find the the concept of fate very interesting which the plot is quite centralised around.
I did find the middle part of the story quite slow and boring. It did of course have several great moments, but I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it could've been a little bit more densely packed. Despite this the build-up was worth it and the ending was truly amazing. To put in perspective if I could rate the parts of the story independently:
Intro: 4.75
Middle: 3
Ending: 5
I recommend this book if you enjoy stories surrounding the complexity of human relations, fate, want to read a fiction built around real life events, or enjoy stories of characters going from assholes to heroes.
Thanks Leo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Violence
thelols4's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt
noeul's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent