A review by elliexsiena
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is so beautiful but so harrowing. The various relationships between the central male characters is what drives the plot, but it is also what breaks your heart repeatedly. However, I love and admire Hosseini for creating a main character who is so unlikeable it is hard not to hate him - despite the fact he is a child - but by the end of the emotionally draining narrative it is hard not to love him. In essence, this is a story of redemption, and the power of friendship and brotherhood. The depiction of seldom-represented issues faced by men - perhaps issues which are largely considered exclusive to the female experience - is unique and essential. When it comes to the setting of a war-torn, Taliban-occupied Afghanistan, Hosseini has not shied away from the unimaginable horrors faced, and now faced once again, by the innocent people of Afghanistan. Whilst this is hard, and sometimes even impossible to read, it is necessary to create both awareness and action in countries such as the UK which pay very little attention to a country that surely needs our help. Overall, The Kite Runner is a beautiful story set against the backdrop of a traumatised country, which has in turn traumatised its citizens.   
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