The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini

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This is one of the best stories I have read. Hosseini never fails to charm you with his bewitching magical words. The book is a reflection of redemption, guilt, sorrow and selfless loyalty. This is a story of a rich boy in Kabul named Amir who is best friends with their household servant’s son, Hassan. They share a brotherly relationship and Hassan treats Amir like his everything. Amir is a little weak and hence Hassan is always protecting him from bullies. Hassan acts like his bodyguard and worships him like anything. Amir’s father always favours Hassan and that ignites jealousy in Amir often. There is an annual kite competition in the neighbourhood and Hassan is Amir’s ‘kite runner’ as in he goes and fetches the kite Amir cuts with his own. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local kite fighting tournament and finally earns Baba's(his father) praise. Hassan runs for the last cut kite, a great trophy, saying to Amir, "For you, a thousand times over." He encounters one of the bullies in an alleyway and refuses to give up the kite to him. In return the bully, named Assef tortures Hassan and beats him up. Amir goes in search of Hassan as he does not return for a long time and sees what Assef does to his friend but keeps quiet and turns away his head as he is too scared to intervene and returns back home. This follows a series of events and Hassan and his father quietly leave the house after a while. After some years, the Soviet Union militarily intervenes in Afghanistan and Amir and his father escape and settle down in California.

Lives normally go on and one fine day, Amir receives a call from Kabul which takes him back to his past and offers him a chance to redeem himself and be free of the guilt. A lot of secrets and mysteries solve from his past and stories start to unfold revealing shocking things. It is a story of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and redemption. It will surely touch chords and leave you overwhelmed and in tears. I will give it a perfect 10/10.

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