REVIEWER: Jennifer McCue
BOOK TITLE: The Kite Runner
AUTHOR: Khaled Hosseini
GENERAL SYNOPSIS: The Kite Runner is a coming-of-age story set in war-torn Afghanistan. A wealthy boy named Amir and a servant boy named Hassan form a close friendship that defies class and familial bounds. When a bully assaults Hassan, Amir, fueled by jealousy and paternal conflict, turns his head and ignores his friend’s pleas for help. Years later, Amir finds himself in a position to face his guilt and finally atone for his wrongs.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: Is it ever too late to help those we’ve wronged? Hosseini answers that question in such stunning visceral detail that looking away feels impossible. He took an unthinkable tragedy and turned it into a stunning account that makes the reader unearth their own sins alongside Amir. He wrote about the unwritable and made it readable by planting the small seed of hope that we can learn, grow, and do better.
HOW WAS THIS BOOK SIGNIFICANT FOR YOU? HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOUR WRITING?
I often tackle tragedy and hard topics in my writing, and I don’t always give my characters much of a break. Hosseini taught me that all characters have the potential to learn and the ability to overcome and that the most effective literary tragedies are balanced out by hope.
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