The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner

          This week I thought I would pick up the well known novel, The Kite Runner. I read the first five chapters this week, and I was able to pick up a lot of context from these thirty pages. This novel, written by Khaled Hosseini, takes place in December of 2001 in Los Angeles, with a middle-aged man looking back on his past as a young boy, peeking through the abandoned allies of his community. He begins with talking in almost a dark tone or manner. I expect the narrator to be the author, Khaled, as it the novel is in first person. Khaled believes that one is able to block out the worst moments of their past, and bury it. However, it takes time and effort, "because the past claws its way out". The novel introduces three characters, just on the first page. Rahim Khan, who seems to be an old friend of Khaled's, who lives in Pakistan. Rahim seems to induce the resurfacing of many of Khaled's old memories, and throughout the novel, Khaled is reflecting on his past.

         One thing I definitely enjoyed about the start of this novel is the diction. The author has a wonderful way of portraying his past. It took me two pages to want to read more, as the novel seems to be very mysterious. Khaled seems to have a very intriguing past, and he withholds the information from the reader, which is what makes me want to read more. It is a compelling and interesting book and it's definitely not your typical love story or science fiction novel. :)

          Something I didn't like about the novel so far was that it's slightly confusing. I love how the author makes the novel mysterious, however the phrases he uses and characters he refers to required me to make a lot of inferences that may or may not be correct. The only way to ensure who is who is by reading carefully and remembering small details. For example, the author might repeat a quote of someone he used to know more than once at different occasions in the novel, so you must be able to connect all of those events so that you are able to form a clear picture in your mind.

          In general, I enjoyed these first few chapters. Khaled talks about his childhood a lot and I expect this novel to be very well-written and attention-grabbing. As of now, I would recommend the novel to others. :)

Pakistan is located in Asia and at one point was connected with India, until a major war/dispute tore their relationship apart. They are now separate countries