March 2022 book of the month club - The Kite Runner

[Lola3791]

It sounds like everyone enjoyed this book more than I did.
I didn't like the writing style or the way the book was paced. I didn't feel any attachment to any of the characters execpt Hassen and Sohrab. Because of this, sad events didn't have the impact they should have, like Amir's father's death. The book didn't capture my interest until the end when Sohrab was introduced. For the majority of the book, I was bored and probably wouldn't have finished if I wasn't reading it for discussion.
Sohrab and Hassen broke my heart. Both of them suffered so much at the hands of the same person. I wish that Amir had the chance to see Hassen again and make amends.
Something that bothered me was that Amir's father's friend (I can't remember his name) said that Hassen told him about the rape, and he did nothing! I feel like he had enough social influence to hold the rapist accountable or he could have told Amir's father, who would have not let it go. He would go to any means for justice, as shown when the soldier wants to rape the Iranian woman and Amir's father stands up to him.
I also thought it was interesting how Amir kind of resented his father growing up and when he and his wife want kids, he wants to be a father just like his, even though his father-son relationship was so strained as a child because of his father.
I give the book 3/5 stars.

 

[verna davies]

gilmargl , your right, Hassan was a willing victim for Amir and it still can be seen, more's the pity. In the book I had there was a 10 year Anniversary note with the author saying that he wrote the book based on his childhood in Kabul so maybe Amir's behaviour was based on the behaviour of the author, whilst shameful, it was/is acceptable in some countries.

 

[verna davies]

Lola3791 the book wasnt to everybody's taste so well done for finishing it. Many of the characters were difficult to like, but whilst Baba was wrong in not accepting Hassan as his son he did it with good intentions and carried out many good acts of kindness. I too bonded with Hassan and Sohrab, both victims of injustice.

 

[rubysmama]

Since we all mostly felt the same way about the book, particularly the unlikability of Amir, it doesn't give much room for actual discussion.

Lola3791 : you mentioned not developing any attachment to any of the characters except Hassen and Sohrab, so you didn't find the sad parts, such as Amir's father dying, to make much of an impact. I, too, despite often crying when reading books, didn't cry at all with this one. I think you're right it was something to do with the way it was written.

gilmargl : I agree with you that the parts in San Francisco were really good story telling, and I really enjoyed the "courtship" between Amir and Soraya. Despite it happening while Baba was dying, it was still a welcome respite from the horrors in Afghanistan.

V verna davies : I never thought about the ending as only being a possibility not probability that Sohrab would have a happy life. I guess if ever a book needed an epilogue, this might have been it.

 

[rubysmama]

The end of the month snuck up on me, and here it is March 31st already.
So we're at the end of another book club month.

Not too many of us read The Kite Runner, which wasn't unexpected considering the subject matter and setting, but it did mean the discussion was less chatty than usual. Thanks, though, to those of you read and posted your review.

Hope you'll all join us again in April when we read the cozy mystery, Louisiana Longshot.
April 2022 Book of the Month Club - Louisiana Longshot