I
just finished reading this book, and I must admit it’s been a while since I was
last nearly moved to tears by a story. I
haven’t seen the movie so I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this.
It begins
in Afghanistan and tells the story of Amir and his friendship with Hassan,
their family’s Hazara servant who was of the same age. Amir and Hassan grew up together and Amir
treated Hassan like they were brothers.
Even Amir’s father seemed to love Hassan like he was his own son, which
made Amir terribly jealous. Everything
Amir did to try to gain his father’s praise and acknowledgement seemed to end
in failure, and it made things worse when Hassan always managed to save him
from trouble. And so though Amir truly loved
Hassan as a brother, he grew up feeling unworthy and incompetent next to his
friend. He gradually became bitter,
contemptuous, and he begrudged Hassan every little thing that his father did
for the servant. The only time Amir
managed to gain the respect and praise of his father was when he won the kite
fighting tournament, but it was also on that same day that his fate and that of
Hassan’s will change forever. For it is on
that day that Amir commits the greatest betrayal against his friend and begets
the guilt and regret which he will suffer for the rest of his life.
The
story of Amir follows the tumultuous changes that Afghanistan suffered since the
1980’s. The wars, Russia, and the
Taliban – all those political forces ravaged the land and destroyed the
dreamlike homeland that Amir grew up in.
He and his father fled to America, and Amir thought he would also escape
his terrible sins against Hassan, but of course he couldn’t escape from
himself. Eventually he did find some
measure of success and joy, but the past inevitably comes back to haunt us
all. A distress call from a beloved
friend compels him to go back to Afghanistan, only to be confronted with painful and incredible truths about who he and Hassan truly were, to witness the
destruction and agony of his homeland, to relive every horror and compound
every sin, at last to face the greatest demon from his past, to be presented
with a chance to right his wrongs, and eventually to find redemption and
forgiveness.
This
book put me through an emotional storm.
At first I thought it would bore me; that it would be preachy and
moralistic. But as I followed the story of Amir and Hassan, I grew closer and
closer to them, could almost hear their voices in my head. I felt my heart clench and throb painfully
for Hassan, mourned for the cruel fate that he had to face and marvelled at his
integrity, loyalty, and purity. I just
knew life would deal him the cruellest hand – the world tends to extend the
harshest punishment on those who deserve it least. But I could not retain any anger toward Amir
either. He, too, suffered in his own
pure way. It is only those with a conscience who suffer. I’m so glad he managed to do something in the
end; that he did try his best to atone for the wrongs he did. In the end, that is the only thing any of us
could try to do. We cannot go back and
undo any of our mistakes. Even though
the story was filled with so much pain, it also provided some small measure of forgiveness
and hope. It is told in a voice that is
straightforward, honest, and sincere. It
gave me a clearer picture of what faith actually means and what power it can
provide. I strongly recommend this book
to everyone. We can all learn something
important from this unforgettable and moving story.
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