Afghanistan, a country landlocked in South and Central Asia, has grown in importance in terms of global politics. But did you know that the country, which is now one of the world’s poorest nations, was once the hub of human migration along the Silk Road and chronic conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras, and the Sunnis and Shias? The Kite Runner, which is the first novel written in English by an Afghanistan authoer, provides not only a sensuous portrait of the previously obscure country but also a moving story of an individual’s life.
The story begins with the protagonist Amir recalling his childhood memories back in Afghanistan. There he lived with his father Baba and their servants Ali and his son Hassan, the Hazaras. Amir’s father and Ali grew up together as childhood playmates just like Amir and Hassan grew up a generation later. Hassan was born just after Amir’s mother died giving birth to him. Hassan’s mother, a gorgeous woman named Sanubar, ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers. For this reason, Baba hired a nursing woman for Amir and Hassan, having them raised by the same person. Hassan had a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood and cleft lips where the doll maker’s instrument may have slipped through. He was both Amir’s only friend and loyal servant. However, Amir was sometimes jealous of Hassan’s innocence and the love he received from Baba.
In this part of the story that portrays Afghanistan’s landscapes and culture, I found myself extremely impressed by how beautiful and sensitive the depictions are. Flowing and elegant sentences such as "White-walled, flat-topped houses gleamed in the sunshine, the laundry hanging on clotheslines in their yards stirred by the breeze to dance like butterflies" touched my heart.
Another aspect of the book that impressed me was that the fundamental sentiment of Afghans is similar to that of Koreans. Baba’s old friend Rahim Khan says "I see America has infused you with the optimism that has made her so great. That's very good. We're a melancholic people, we Afghans, aren't we?... We give in to loss, to suffering, accept it as a fact of life, even see it as necessary. Zendagi migzara, we say, life goes on." Since the territory of Afghanistan has been considered a favorable location, the land suffered endless wars against other powers. Many countries have their own history of being invaded or separated, and thus the historical experience that the book deals with can reach out to many people around the world
On a frigid, overcast day in the winter of 1975, Amir and Hassan is at the age of twelve when a life-changing incident occurred to Amir. A notoriously violent boy named Assef, who hates the Hazaras rapes Hassan. Amir watches everything happen knowing that Hassan can see him. However, he cannot dare to step out from behind the wall he is hiding behind. Five years later when the Russians invade Afghanistan, Amir and Baba escapes to America, where Baba dies of lung cancer. There Amir meets his soul mate, Soraya. But for some reason, they cannot conceive a child and Amir thinks that he is not qualified to be a father, this guilt severely distressing him even after 26 years pass.
One day, Amir receives a phone call from Rahim Khan telling him that “there is a way to be good again.” Amir goes back to his totally destroyed country and learns what happened after his departure, including how much Hassan missed him and how Hassan died during the massacre of Hazaras. Then, Rahim Khan reveals the truth that Hassan was in fact Amir’s half brother and that Hassan was the child of Baba and Sanubar. Now knowing the truth, Amir goes to fetch Hassan’s son Sohrab from the oraphanage. Through tracing the whereabouts of Sohrab, Amir finds out that Assef sexually abused Sohrab. Amir gets seriously assaulted by Assef in the process of rescuing Sohrab, but he feels a sense of freedom while being beaten because he feels that it is his way of atonement. The story ends with the scene in which Amir runs a kite with Sohrab, just as he had done with Hassan. Self-forgiveness budded in Amir’s mind, “not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away."
While reading the book, I felt as if I was walking along the trace of a person’s life. After closing the back cover of the book, I could feel the resonance the novel left in my heart. This is the story about two opposite counterparts: father and son, sin and atonement, cruelty and warm-heartedness, wound and understanding, living and dying and good and evil. I am sure that The Kite Runner would be an unforgettable read for anyone.