THE KITE RUNNER

Written in English by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan physician now living in California, this is a gripping story of human failure and the need for redemption. Afghanistan in 1975, a country hidden in the corner of Asia — but in Kabul, twelve-year-old Amir, from a privileged family, has his own concerns. He is desperate to win the annual kite-fighting tournament to prove to his father that he has the makings of a man. Amir's servant Hassan is a low-caste Muslim and the son of a crippled servant but nevertheless the two boys are friends. Hassan defends Amir against the neighbourhood bullies, but Amir feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in Amir's father's heart. During the tournament, Amir takes advantage of Hassan's loyalty, leaving him in the hands of a violent bully who rapes him. After this, the very sight of Hassan becomes painful to Amir, and he betrays him once again, forcing the boy and his crippled father from the family home. After the Russians invade, the family is forced to flee to America. Despite their poverty, the exiled Afghans manage to keep alive their ancient standards of honour and pride. Amir grows to manhood and settles comfortably into America and a happy marriage, but his past shame continues to haunt him. He worries about Hassan and wonders what has happened to him back in Afghanistan. In the end he has to embark on a journey of redemption to a country ravaged by the Taliban. The final third of the book is full of haunting images: a man, desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in the market; an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; a rouged young boy forced into prostitution. Amir's world is a mixture of the beautiful and horrific, and the book is an unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afganis.