The Kite Runner is about one man's journey into reconciling with past against the backdrop of the adversities faced by Afghanis as a result of both the Soviet occupation in the late seventies and the Taliban dictatorship twenty years later.

Amir and Hassan are like brothers. They both love stories, pulling mischief and kites, both flying them and running them down. Except for the fact that Amir is the privileged superior one and Hassan the humble and poor slave of little means. Hassan is extremely virtuous and loyal to Amir which Amir sometimes exploits until his actions finally lead him down a guilty path from which he seeks redemption.

After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, of course I had to pick up this book with all its critical acclaim and it did not disappoint! The Kite Runner is deeply stirring and I loved it! The writing is effortless and visual perfectly setting the scene and resonates with the reader in its reflections of more the upsetting themes.

I expected to rate this book 5 stars especially given how invested and how close I felt to some of the characters and the well of emotions it uncapped in me, but reading some passages felt a bit laboured. Also though the internal conflict and search for redemption does give Amir's character depth, I didn't find him to be very likeable as a protagonist until well into the story.

All in all, this book warrants an easy recommendation!