SUMMARY
The book I choose to read for my independent novel study is the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This novel takes us through the life of Amir, from his childhood to his 40s. The first half the book takes place in the form of Amir's memory as he shares stories of his privileged childhood in Kabul. We are introduced to his father, Baba, who Amir continually tries to impress throughout the novel, Ali, there servant and his son Hassan who is Amir's best friend/companion, servant and we eventually find out, his half-brother.
There's an annual kite flying competition in Kabul and it's huge. It's the event that every child looks forward too. If you don't know what it is, basically, hundred of kids bring their kites out and set them loose on the sky. The string is covered in tar and bits of glass and you have to cut everyone else's kites out of the sky.
First paperback edition book cover
Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini with Bahram and...
Khaled Hosseini at the White House in 2007, with B...You're the winner if you're the last one standing but the real grand prize is the last kite to be cut from the skies. Kids spend hours just chasing it. So there's this competition and Amir wins but he believes that if he can get the last kite as well, his father will truly be proud of him. Lucky Hassan
is an amazing kite runner and he's able to retrieve it for him. However, he gets cornered by a group of kids led by this sadistic half German half afghan kid named Assef. No matter, how much they threatened Hassan, he refused to give up the kite. So eventually, they let him keep it but only after Assef raped him. Amir however, saw everything and instead of helping Hassan, he pretended it never happened. But that moment kept haunting him...