“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini – The Unlikely Friendship

If there is one thing Khaled Hosseini is known for more than anything else, it’s his ability to create an authentic, believable, and basically true-to-life Middle Eastern setting for his stories, something very few other authors can even come close to managing. 

The first time he displayed his skills in front of the whole wide world he wrote The Kite Runner, a novel about a very unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and his servant’s son, one that lasts over thirty years in a country torn apart by war and countless conflicts.

Just like in Hosseini’s other novels, the setting and environment is simply unrivaled: his precise and larger-than-life descriptions truly make the place come alive, even giving it an identity of its own. It feels like the environment is some sort of omniscient director who controls, or at least influences, the fate of those living in it. 

Speaking of characters, I have to admit that I was quite pleasantly surprised not to find this book crammed with stereotypes; regardless of whether they are rich or poor, the characters are multi-dimensional, they have their own thoughts and beliefs, with nobody being pure good or evil. Everything is as grey as the clouds, and in the end it is made obvious that choices are to be made based on beliefs and principles, rather than logic, for these is very little of it to be found.

The story of the friendship itself is quite moving and serves as an exploration vehicle for many important topics and themes, including the influence fathers can have over their sons, how the power of friendship can give meaning to life, how betrayal can hurt someone, and perhaps even more importantly, redemption. 

In the end, it felt to me like this book, apart from delivering an entertaining story, was written in order to make some kind of statement about human nature, about how it can thrive and survive even when faced with some of the most terrible dangers this world has to offer.

All in all, regardless of whether you’re interested in learning about the human condition or simply want to read an inspiring story set in a realistic Middle East populated with much more than cardboard cutout characters, then I definitely recommend you check out this book.

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Khaled Hosseini Personal site Khaled Hosseini is an American novelist of Afghan origin, as well as a physician, though he likened that occupation to an arranged marriage. In 2003 Hosseini published his first book, The Kite Runner, and never looked back with the tremendous success it brought him.