Khaled Hesseini’s, The Kite Runner, takes you to a place hard to imagine if not experienced firsthand. It explores the life of a boy named Amir in the country he claims as his own, Afghanistan, along with his father and one of his very loyal servants and friend, Hassan. Amir and Hassan grow up with mostly the innocence of Afghanistan until one day things change.

Amir, who had always been struggling to be looked upon by his father as a son, finally succeeded. He had promised himself that he would win the annual kite flying competition that was one of his and his father’s only common interests. Unfortunately for Amir, he had to witness the innocence of his friend Hassan being taken from him, without the courage to do anything about it. With the guilt buried deep inside of Amir, slowly their lifelong friendship breaks apart.

With all of this happening, the birth of the Taliban in Afghanistan became a great threat to the people. Amir and his father are forced to flee to America to start again, but the vivid image of what Amir had witnessed would still haunt him. While trying to move on, Amir is revisited by someone very important to him from the past, someone who brings all the history back, yet this time, with a possible solution.

This is a story about loyalty, guilt, and letting go. The characters in the novel are very well described. When reading, it is almost as if you have grown up with the characters and can relate with everything they are experiencing in some way whether it is much more severe or something small. Everyone in the book leaves an impression on you that will keep you thinking of them even if they are not in the story anymore. Many of the events in the story are things that aren’t often talked about every day. They will change the way you see things and leave you wanting to see much more.

This book is attention getting from the first page and will keep you wanting to read more even during the most tragic parts. There were times that could bring out laughter in the novel yet also very serious and graphic times. Because of some of the concepts in the novel I would recommend this book to all teenagers and adults. While reading, many lessons will be learned and it will be much enjoyed.