Dear Evilin,

Although you may claim that the book looks too boring to read, I will respond to your statement ahead of time with the oh-so-popular saying, “Do not judge a book by its cover”. The fascinating lines about the beauty and tensions of friendship and love will have you crawling under the covers at night with a flashlight. This captivating novel, The Kite Runner, gave me a greater awareness about the importance of love, friendship, and forgiveness.

The Kite Runner, although it sounds peculiar, is a beautiful story about friendship, courage, family, taunting of the past, and the search for redemption. Wonderfully written and well presented, this tale situates itself in the core of the lives of innocent children. With the story located in Afghanistan, Amir and Hassan explore their unlikely and odd friendship. Amir, the main protagonist, is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant. Hassan, however, is the son of Amir’s father’s servant, and also a member of the despised minority group, the Hazaras. Their uncommon friendship is torn apart with Amir’s choice to abandon his loyal friend Hassan during rising tensions in the country.

I know you have a crazed nostalgia for your childhood. Although you still are a child, I understand your longing for the innocence and ignorance of the troubles of this world. And that is exactly what this book gives you, temporarily:

“When we were children, Hassan and I used to climb the poplar trees in the driveway of my father’s house and annoy our neighbors by reflecting sunlight into their homes with a shard of mirror. We would sit across from each other on a pair of high branches, our naked feet dangling, our trouser pockets filled with dried mulberries and walnuts. We took turns with the mirror as we ate mulberries, pelted each other with them, giggling, laughing.”

I chose that excerpt from the novel because of its portrayal of the ideal childhood which we sometimes dream of remaining in. As you know, I have always loved children and I believe that it is their – respectfully – carelessness which has captivated me so much. As we grow older, we experience more, understand more, and generally see things for what they are. The same goes for the character Amir; as he grows older, his past betrayal of his dear friend continues to haunt him to the point where he eventually finds himself searching for him.

Author Khaled Hosseini truly goes into the depth of friendship, childhood, and forgiveness. Although Hassan is an uncommonly wise and forgiving child, his relationship with Amir reminds readers of his true age. Although Amir is a year older, his childishness so deeply contrasts with the maturity and wisdom of Hassan. However, Amir also grows into a wise, understanding, and courageous man through his process of revitalization.

Nonetheless, the book is not merely about friendship and love. It tends to get darker towards the end, as Amir re-encounters his past. His journey of confusion, conflicts, fear, and pain lead him to his ultimate opportunity of ‘being good again’. Thus, the story is definitely quite unique, but concurrently, fascinating and mesmerizing in its own way.

I know you will love this book; not only because it revolves around the childhood of two friends, but also because it explores the idea of forgiveness and the significance of family. All in all, I hope you take my word for it and take the chance to read this book some time soon. Hopefully it will satisfy your craving for the wonder of childhood.

Love, your beloved sister,

Carolin

https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/1232/page_number/1/the-kite-runner#excerpt