Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Isabela Chieffi
Nov 1
2 min read

Information

Cover of "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini features a kite in a blue sky over a cityscape. Text includes bestseller status and reviews.

Book Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Publish Date: May 29, 2003

Genres: fiction, historical, literary

Moods: dark, emotional, sad

Pace: medium-paced

Synopsis

The Kite Runner is a story about friendship, betrayal, and redemption. The story originally takes place in Afghanistan but later follows the main character, Amir, and his father to America. This book, through Amir and his childhood best friend, Hassan, shows the impact of war, political changes, and guilt.

Personal Thoughts

I am not a fan of historical fiction. That is why when I was assigned this book for AP Lit, I knew I wouldn't enjoy reading it. And I was right. This book has not changed my thoughts on historical fiction because it proved my point. The reason I don't like historical fiction and never pick it up is because I don't enjoy reading events that are so tragic. And that is exactly what happened with this book.

Usually I love books that tear my heart to pieces, like Call Me by Your Name, Eleanor & Park, and Song of Achilles. But unlike those books, The Kite Runner broke my heart to pieces and the "well, this never actually happened because it's fiction" excuse did not work. This story is real and sadly, many people can relate to the events that happened.

Ironically, those reasons are exactly why I gave it such a high book rating. Did I sob for a solid 30 minutes after finishing it? Yes, but that's the point. This story is important and should be required reading. Reading is not all sunshine and rainbows and this book reminded me that, like in life, we sometimes have to read and get through difficult things. Those difficult things teach us and remind us of valuable lessons.

Book Rating

★★★★☆ (4.75/5) stars

I gave this book 4.75 stars. All the reasons I thought it was such a great book I detailed above. However, the reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the ending was not enough. For such a heartbreaking book, I think the ending should have been a little more hopeful. I'm not saying add or change the plot, just maybe add a reflection that can give hope back to the reader.