The kite runner finished

As the title to this blog post states I am now done reading the kite runner. My impression of the book is that it is really good and extremely sad. The entire story can be called a quest for redemption. Amir has done something horrible and he is unable to move past that point in his life. The book shows how he finally tries to make amends by taking care of Hassan's son Sohrab. In his quest for redemption there are times when it looks like he is on the right path and other times were he isn't. In the end I think he is able to at least move on in his life.

The ending can't be called a happy ending, but it is heading in that direction. The last few pages shows that Sohrab is finally opening a bit up after his suicide attempt.

The kite runner continues

I am now soon to be finished with the book. The journey that this book has taken me on is wonderfully sad, but it has its lighter moments.

This time I will try to give a short summary of what I have read. Since I wrote my last blog post, Amir and Baba has fled from Afghanistan. They moved to America where they live a life with less wealth, but this has a positive effect on the relationship between Amir and Baba. Every Sunday they work at the flea market and sell off junk. The flea marked consists mostly of Afghans, and it is at the flea marked Amir first meets Soraya. Soraya is an afghan girl and Amir falls in love at once.

Happiness for Amir comes to an end when he learns that Baba has gotten cancer. Baba is refusing chemo and Amir knows that there is no way to get him to change his mind. Amir is convinced that this is some kind of punishment for his sins. Before Baba dies Amir asks him to go and ask Soraya’s father for her hand in marriage. Soraya’s father accepts, and they get married. Baba dies shortly after and Amir is heartbroken.

After a while of marriage Soraya and Amir want to have a baby. For different reasons this proves to be difficult. Not long after that Amir gets a phone call from Rahim Khan in Afghanistan. Rahim Khan wants him to come to Afghanistan because he is sick. Amir decides to go, but there a big surprise waiting for him.

The real reason Rahim Khan wanted Amir in Pakistan was to find Hassan’s son. Hassan has been living with Rahim Khan for years, but he and his wife where recently killed by the Taliban. Their orphan son Sohrab was left in Kabul and now Rahim Khan wants Amir to go and get him. Rahim Khan also shocks him by revealing that Hassan was actually his half brother. At first Amir is mad and frustrated at both Baba and Rahim Khan for lying to him, but eventually he comes to the conclusion that he and Baba where more alike than he had thought. They had both sinned. Amir decides to go and get Sohrab in Kabul.

When Amir comes to Kabul it is nothing like what he remembered. The streets are run by the Taliban and there are rules to follow everywhere. Amir looks for Sohrab at an orphanage, but discovers that he has been bought by one of the Taliban. Amir, despite his normal cowardice, meets the one who bought him and asks if he can take him back. It is an unexpected turn of events when Amir realizes that the one he is talking to is Assef, the one who assaulted Hassan all those years ago. Assef proposes a one on one fight between him and Amir and the winner gets Sohrab. Amir has no choice but to accept and he quickly looses. Luckily thanks to Sohrab and his slingshot Amir and Sohrab manage to get out of there. The next time Amir awakens he is in a hospital.

I know that I was supposed to writer this short, but in my defense I have read a lot more this time so I had more to cover.