Synopses & Reviews
“I sat on a bench near a willow tree and watched a pair of kites soaring in the sky. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an afterthought, ‘There is a way to be good again.”Now in paperback, one of the years international literary sensations -- a shattering story of betrayal and redemption set in war-torn Afghanistan.
Amir and Hassan are childhood friends in the alleys and orchards of Kabul in the sunny days before the invasion of the Soviet army and Afghanistans decent into fanaticism. Both motherless, they grow up as close as brothers, but their fates, they know, are to be different. Amirs father is a wealthy merchant; Hassans father is his manservant. Amir belongs to the ruling caste of Pashtuns, Hassan to the despised Hazaras.
This fragile idyll is broken by the mounting ethnic, religious, and political tensions that begin to tear Afghanistan apart. An unspeakable assault on Hassan by a gang of local boys tears the friends apart; Amir has witnessed his friends torment, but is too afraid to intercede. Plunged into self-loathing, Amir conspires to have Hassan and his father turned out of the household.
When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father flee to San Francisco, leaving Hassan and his father to a pitiless fate. Only years later will Amir have an opportunity to redeem himself by returning to Afghanistan to begin to repay the debt long owed to the man who should have been his brother.
Compelling, heartrending, and etched with details of a history never before told in fiction, The Kite Runner is a story of the ways in which were damned by our moral failures, and of the extravagant cost of redemption.
Synopsis
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!Scheduled for theatre release in November 2007, “The Kite Runner” has a stellar team behind it: Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster (“Stranger Than Fiction,” “Finding Neverland,” “Monsters Ball”) and screenplay writer David Benioff (“Troy”).
The Kite Runner is an unforgettable story of honour, courage and betrayal set in war-torn Afghanistan as two small boys test their friendship to its limits. Compelling, heartrending, and etched with details of a history never before told in fiction, The Kite Runner explores the ways in which were damned by our moral failures, and of the extravagant cost of redemption.
From the Paperback edition.
About the Author
KHALED HOSSEINI was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, the son of a diplomat whose family received political asylum in the United States in 1980. He lives in northern California, where he is a physician.
The Kite Runner is his first novel.
From the Paperback edition.
Reading Group Guide
1. The novel begins with Amirs memory of peering down an alley, looking for Hassan who is kite running for him. As Amir peers into the alley, he witnesses a tragedy. The novel ends with Amir kite running for Hassans son, Sohrab, as he begins a new life with Amir in America. Why do you think the author chooses to frame the novel with these scenes? Refer to the following passage: “Afghans like to say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end…crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of
kochis [nomads].” How is this significant to the framing of the novel?
2. The strong underlying force of this novel is the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Discuss their friendship. Why is Amir afraid to be Hassans true friend? Why does Amir constantly test Hassans loyalty? Why does he resent Hassan? After the kite running tournament, why does Amir no longer want to be Hassans friend?
3. Early in Amir and Hassans friendship, they often visit a pomegranate tree where they spend hours reading and playing. “One summer day, I used one of Alis kitchen knives to carve our names on it: ‘Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul. Those words made it formal: the tree was ours.” In a letter to Amir later in the story, Hassan mentions that “the tree hasnt borne fruit in years.” Discuss the significance of this tree.
4. We begin to understand early in the novel that Amir is constantly vying for Babas attention and often feels like an outsider in his fathers life, as seen in the following passage: “Hed close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups time with him. Id sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter.” Discuss Amirs relationship with Baba.
5. After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba undergoes significant change. However, while they form a bond of friendship, Amir is still unhappy. What causes this unhappiness and how has Baba contributed to Amirs state of mind? Eventually, the relationship between the two returns to the way it was before the tournament, and Amir laments “we actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us.” Discuss the significance of this passage.
6. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheeps eyes moments before its death. “I dont know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in the animals eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose.” Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassans tragedy in the alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again toward the end of the novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban. Discuss the image in the context of the novel.
7. America acts as a place for Amir to bury his memories and a place for Baba to mourn his. In America, there are “homes that made Babas house in Wazir Akbar Khan look like a servants hut.” What is ironic about this statement? What is the function of irony in this novel?
8. What is the significance of the irony in the first story that Amir writes? After hearing Amirs story, Hassan asks, “Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldnt he have just smelled an onion?” How is his reaction to the story a metaphor for Amirs life? How does this story epitomize the difference in character between Hassan and Amir?
9. Why is Baba disappointed by Amirs decision to become a writer? During their argument about his career path, Amir thinks to himself: “I would stand my ground, I decided. I didnt want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself.” What has Amir sacrificed for Baba? How has Amir “damned himself”?
10. Compare and contrast the relationships of Soraya and Amir and their fathers. How have their upbringings contributed to these relationships?
11. Discuss how the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan affect each of the characters in the novel.
12. On Amirs trip back to Afghanistan, he stays at the home of his driver, Farid. Upon leaving he remarks: “Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under the mattress.” Why is this moment so important in Amirs journey?
13. Throughout the story, Baba worries because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change?
14. Amirs confrontation with Assef in Wazir Akar Khan marks an important turning point in the novel. Why does the author have Amir, Assef, and Sohrab all come together in this way? What is this the significance of the scar that Amir develops as a result of the confrontation? Why is it important in Amirs journey toward forgiveness and acceptance?
15. While in the hospital in Peshawar, Amir has a dream in which he sees his father wrestling a bear: “They role over a patch of grass, man and beast…they fall to the ground with a loud thud and Baba is sitting on the bears chest, his fingers digging in its snout. He looks up at me, and I see. Hes me. I am wrestling the bear.” Why is this dream so important at this point in the story? What does this dream finally help Amir realize?
16. Amir and Hassan have a favorite story. Does the story have the same meaning for both men? Why does Hassan name his son after one of the characters in the story?
17. Baba and Amir know that they are very different people. Often it disappoints both of them that Amir is not the son that Baba has hoped for. When Amir finds out that Baba has lied to him about Hassan, he realizes that “as it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than Id never known.” How does this make Amir feel about his father? How is this both a negative and positive realization?
18. When Amir and Baba move to the States their relationship changes, and Amir begins to view his father as a more complex man. Discuss the changes in their relationship. Do you see the changes in Baba as tragic or positive?
19. Discuss the difference between Baba and Ali and between Amir and Hassan. Are Babas and Amirs betrayals and similarities in their relationships of their servants (if you consider Babas act a betrayal) similar or different? Do you think that such betrayals are inevitable in the master/servant relationship, or do you feel that they are due to flaws in Babas and Amirs characters, or are they the outcome of circumstances and characters?
From the Hardcover edition.