“In
his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini displays a
master's touch for crafting prose and constructing a complex
juxtaposition between the boys' crumbling relationship and the
crumbling state of the country they call home. The Kite
Runner has
amassed raves from a long list of publications, including the New
York Times,
Denver
Post,
San
Jose Mercury News,
and Publishers
Weekly.”
Litlovers
How
do his descriptions differ from ideas that we may already have had
about Afghanistan?
What
will The Kite Runner Teach us about Afghanistan ?
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies,
I hope all is well with you both and life is treating you well. We have had another rain event here and have spent the last day and a half without power.....hmm.
I know I am early with my comment but to be honest I've had it written in my word docs for a week.
It took me awhile to begin this novel, when I did start however I couldn't put it down. When writing the post I viewed many other book club questions on the story and learnt more than I intended to. I knew the nature of the attack on Hassan and found it difficult to begin a story that I already knew to be so sad. I am very glad that I have read this book now.
I must say Afghanistan is a country I did not know very much about despite it being constantly in the news, much to my embarrassment I was surprised that the winters were so cold, I just hadn't thought about it before. I guess that pretty much sums up my rather narrow view of a country that deserves so much more of the world's attention.
Throughout the story I was continually reminding myself that this was a work of fiction, although I am sure some scenarios are taken from actual events. I found so much of it so difficult to come to terms with , the public stonings and the other human rights abuses are starkly described and stunning in their brutality.
What interesting characters Hosseini has created to give us such a wide and varied view of all the different faces of an Afghan. I was also unaware of the differences between Pashtuns and Hazaras in fact I again embarrassingly admit I didn't know of their existence. This novel has taught me so much.
On the cover of my novel there are words describing the story like 'devastating', heartbreaking', 'unforgettable' I have to say I was sceptical of such grand praise, now I feel like using them in my comment !!!
I feel the relationships between the men, boys, Hazara , Pashtun, father ,son, master servant, friends are all fascinatingly interwoven. It is essentially a story of men, and perhaps that has a lot to do with Hosseini's upbringing and identity .
I am glad I read this book, as I said, it has taught me much about the suffering and spirit of the Afghan people. I found it incredibly sad at times and also I was angry and frustrated at the abuses of power in our world . I also felt the characters of Hassan and Ali helped to shine a redeeming light on the flawed human condition.
So sorry, Nancy, to be so late to respond to your posting, especially given the circumstances in which you wrote it. I very much admire your understated description of a very difficult situation as a “rain event”. I do hope the power is back on. And are you able to leave your home? How are other members of the family taking it? With your aplomb? For about a week now, we Brits have been experiencing temperatures around zero day and night with overcast skies and a cold North Easterly making it feel like well below zero. We think it should be spring. You should hear the litany of complaints across the media.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you suggest Nancy, this is as nothing compared to winter weather in Afghanistan. My first knowledge of Afghanistan was from a black and white drawing of Afghan mountains in a volume of Pears Encyclopedia. My father used the picture to tell me how his father had fought in Afghanistan. Pears made it clear how dreadful the terrain and climate were for military operations. So, I grew up in the sure knowledge that any military involvement in Afghanistan was futile. "The Kite Runner" certainly confirms that perception. (What it is to be handed down colonialist knowledge!)
I loved the insight into the culture, especially of the male relationships. It’s difficult to see, though, how Amir rejected the culture’s attitude to women. The contrasts between Afghan and American culture were marvellous (e.g. spoilers positively encouraged). I found Amir’s determination to rescue Sohrab convincing, which surprised me because Assef seemed like a Bond “baddie”, and the David and Goliath use of the slingshot by both Hassan and Sohrab just too convenient a metaphor – a cliché, in fact.
Despite this, the book’s narrative was irresistible. I really enjoyed it. Like you, Nancy, I found some of it unrelentingly awful. Sadly, recent media reporting from Afghanistan suggests that unrelenting awfulness will continue. We are so lucky to live in societies in which we are, on the whole, protected from such vicious exploitation.
And on that self-congratulatory note, I’ll close. I’ve forgotten who recommended this, but thank you. It really took me into another world.
Hello there!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in my response. Hurrying has not been my strong suit lately. Nancy, I hope power has returned to you. Sue, I’m sorry the weather has been so lousy (I hate the cold!!).
I have to say it’s been a while since a book kept me up until late hours of the night reading. I couldn’t put it down once Amir had returned to Pakistan. His search for Sohrab is amazing and his quest to keep Sohrab, even more so. I felt terrible for Sohrab. The abuse he suffered was so intense that he was willing to kill himself rather than risk a return to the orphanage. How many 10year olds think of such things? Sohrab’s possible return to the orphanage was like “sour apples”. If he had only waited a little bit longer he would have found out that Soraya had found another way to get him into the U.S.
I agree with you Nancy that this is a story of men. And like you Sue, I find Amir’s ability to reject his culture’s attitude toward women unbelievable. It is surprising that he is able to establish such a bond with Soraya when there is almost no female interaction in his whole childhood. And while he does flee to America to escape his past, he assimilates to Western culture quite easily. It seems that the U.S. is better for Amir than his Afghanistan.
I know you both found this novel quite sad. I did too. But the thing I found most sad was the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Hassan was so sincere with his love for Amir, and Amir was only willing to be friends with Hassan when no one was around. I find that to be most sad of all. Amir thinks only of his position and religion in regard to Hassan. A true friendship would not look at these difference, obviously Hassan didn’t. It makes me so angry when people feel some crazy need to hold petty differences as important. I suppose this is because of my American upbringing. Unlike Amir and Hassan, I am from a country where people are allowed to worship and live as they wish. I guess that skews my opinion.
I do have to say that my favorite portion of the book is when Amir runs the kite for Sohrab. It is a sweet ending that gives you hope that maybe Sohrab will turn out ok in the end. I did thoroughly enjoy this novel. I hope Life of Pi captivates us all in a similar manor.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteI started commenting so early then lost track of time. It is still raining here although no floods at present. Sue, I admire your fortitude at surviving such weather, I am so a cold weather wimp, with much complaining I have made Ivars install a super heater in my bathroom for the winter !!!!!! Not very environmentally friendly but definitely Nancy friendly.
I found both your comments on our book interesting as always and also find the Americanisation of Amir a little too good to be true. One of the questions I read about this book was "Do you think the story was written from an Afghan point of view or an American point of view ?" I puzzled over this but I feel the ideals are American or western, but the insights into the character of the Afghan not so much.
I also found perhaps the prejudices of Amir as a child with Hassan a little more believable than later in the story with his relationship with his wife. The predjudices of childhood can be so difficult to overcome but it seemed Amir did so easily, perhaps Khaled Hosseini was taking liberties to make his story more appealing to western readers ? [just a thought}.
I really liked the character of Hassan and felt for him with all he suffered, and like you Katie, the treatment he received from Amir made me mad, but is it easier to be noble and courageous when you have nothing to lose? History seems to tell us this, right back to the camel and the eye of the needle !
I am glad you both enjoyed this story, Katie do you want to do the Pi post or I can do it ,no problems. I hope you are feeling OK and not too much morning sickness.