Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner. I am going to go against the weight of critical and popular authority and say that this is a bad book. At first I sort of liked it, and then I thought that while it wasn’t a particular good book, it was still a decent page-turner, but by the time the narrator got back to Kabul I had decided that this was a bad book, a manipulative book that is either politically naive or just plain evil. Friends don’t let friends read this book.
I’m going to give you Amazon’s description and review to balance what I am going to say. This seems to summarize the prevailing sentiment about The Kite Runner:
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country’s political turmoil–in this case, Afghanistan–while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir’s father’s servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. (“…I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”)
Some of the plot’s turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America’s collective consciousness (“people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz”), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon.
I will disagree with that assessment of the book’s flaws; I found the last half of the novel to be one of the most interminable stretches of prose in my recent experience — and I just finished The Scarlet Letter. I can think of three much bigger problems with The Kite Runner: it needed an editor, it needed a third-person narrator, and it needed political objectivity.
I will take the first point last because I am going to include spoilers in that part, and I want to warn you in case you go ahead and read this stupid book despite my very sincere wish to spare you the wasted hours. So I’ll start with the first-person narrator, which is kind of tied in with the lack of objectivity. The first-person narration is a problem here for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Amir is a complete ass. Even people who liked the book have noted this issue, and while he is definitely supposed to be a flawed character, you get the impression that he is more flawed than the author believes him to be. Amir’s flaws become the novel’s flaws: he is inobservant, lunk-headed, emotionally dense, self-centered, and a big whiny baby. Also, as another character offhandedly points out, Amir is a tourist in his own country: as a son of privilege, he really doesn’t know or understand that much about Afghanistan’s sad history, and since he is our only window, we are left not knowing much about Afghanistan, either.
This would not necessarily ruin the novel if the author were more observant than Amir himself. A lunk-headed narrator can reveal a lot in the hands of a good writer, but Hosseini is nowhere near that talented. His shortcomings are revealed most starkly by the fact that this is a political novel above all else, but it tells us nothing about the real troubles in Afghanistan; the United States figures heavily in the story but only as a sort of shining promised land for refugees. The CIA’s involvement with the mujahidin and the subsequent rise to power of the Taliban? The CIA’s own web page tells you more than Hosseini’s novel does. In this version of the story, the Taliban comes out of nowhere, and they are bad and mean because they are sociopaths. Which may be true, for all I know, but it sure makes for an unsatisfying novel. And as if the Taliban weren’t bad enough without embellishment, Hosseini adds organized child molestation to their list of crimes. It takes an awfully bad book to make you feel like the Taliban is being unfairly portrayed.
And as for the editing … Well, without spoilers I can tell you that the writing is just plain bad at points. Hosseini never trusts the reader to be more adept at picking up subtleties than he is himself, so the novel is full of repetitions, clichés, and belaboring of the obvious. Not only are the events contrived and obvious, Hosseini makes a point of pounding the symbols and foreshadowing into the ground by telling you, over and over, anything you might have missed. If you were completely stupid and had never read a book before.
The rest of this post will contain spoilers, which you can read anyway if you don’t want to read this book, or if you are one of those people who always guesses plot twists before they happen, because if you are any good at all at guessing the end to stories, you will know everything that is going to happen in this book well ahead of time. But consider the rest of this post my service to the world, both to hack writers and to readers who would like to save time by knowing what will happen in all the hack novels of the world, without having to actually read them. Let’s call it:
Beth’s Guide to Spoilers
- If a character notices something in another character’s face that reminds him of something, he’s not sure where he’s seen that look before, but it is oddly familiar: that second character is secretly related to someone to whom he is not supposed to be related.
- If two characters in a novel are unable to have children, and one of those characters is carrying terrible guilt over having betrayed a friend: eventually he is going to make retribution by adopting the child of the friend he betrayed.
- If a character who has just received bad news goes to take a bath and is then really quiet for a long time: he has slashed his wrists and you should stop reading immediately and go call a doctor.
- If a character is described as being a whiz with a slingshot and someone mentions offhand that he never goes anywhere without said slingshot: expect him to do something contrived and ridiculous with a slingshot.
- If you are reading a bad novel about Afghanistan in the 1970s and it happens to involve a playground bully: he is totally going to grow up to join the Taliban.
I could have written this novel myself after the first chapter. You could have, too, if you’ve ever been to the movies or read a novel or watched any of those grainy clips showing atrocities committed by the Taliban.
The Kite Runner is a bad book. It doesn’t work as a thriller because predictability is not thrilling. It does not work as a character study because the characters are either unlikeable, unbelievable, or both. It does not work as a political novel because it is politically uninformed. It is a bad book, and I think you should read something else.
18 Responses to 'Khaled Hosseini'
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
on April 18th, 2005 at 9:35 am
Oh, look! I am not alone. I agree with everything in that review; it touches on some criticisms I missed.
on March 21st, 2006 at 10:41 pm
You are a racist, who does not understand the complexities of diversity. Khaled Hosseini is a good novelist, and it is his first novel. He also shows signs of his profession during the “America” arc where Baba is diagnosed with cancer. The book is dvided into three stages: Early life, America, and Return. The book is even graphic in nature, but the book actually describes the true oppression that used to be in Afgahnistan. I highly recommend seeing the documentary Kahndahar, where there are many similarities with the Kite Runner. Again, yes it is a debut novel, but it blends in Afghan culture with a mixture of analogies and themes hidden within the novel. There is a Kite Runner movie coming out in 2007, and I hope you see before you make your criticisms.
on March 23rd, 2006 at 10:26 am
Mr. Qing, you have no right to call this man a racist, and that comment has voided any credibility you may have had in that post.
I think the criticism may be a bit strong, but it is fair. I agree with a number of the points presented in this article.
on October 11th, 2006 at 8:05 am
I am going to absolutely disagree with every single word that this review says. This a wonderful story that touched me several times throughout. I don’t see you with a published book you idiot. This novel provides us with the sympothy for the middle eastern culture that most would not have sympothy for. This novel allows readers to look through the windows of all the war and terrorism and see the suffering of the poor civilians. I dont think I cried harder in any other book I have ever read. well done Hosseini.
on November 14th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Nick: what makes you think the author of this criticism is a man? The author mentions her name is Beth.
Ross: it’s sympAthy
Beth: Although I favored the book, I found your criticism to be thought-provoking and for that, job well done.
Jon: If you believe Beth to be a racist, please support your statement.
Khaled: Great book overall.
on January 4th, 2008 at 10:19 am
First, I have not read this book.
However, Jon, by calling the reviewer a racist, you do lose all your credibility, as does Ross by calling the reviewer an idiot.
It seems that those who are not in favor of a negative review of this book have a shallow understanding of the situation in Afghanistan. As a novel, it may be good, I do not know. But as something of a social commentary, this book will never reach the levels of a “Midaq Alley” or other books such as that. There seems to be an appreciation of “Kite Runner” among the masses, but no so much in academia nor among more avid readers that have an eye for reading between the lines.
And before the rest of you readers make claims about the book and its relation to Afghan culture or history, learn something about it.
on April 13th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
The criticism should have been directed toward the review itself which seems elementary at best. Of course the CIA would have more information in it than a fictional piece of literature written from the view point of a common citizen, who was a boy, no less. Though the review was entertaining, though it didn’t persuade me to feel the same. There are a few things that you wrote as a downfall of the novel, that are probably one of the stronger points of it.
For one thing, the repetition was used as a strong literary tool and was not meant to talk down to the reader. By repeating points in the book, it puts emphasis on them. Foreshadowing was also used wisely and I in no way felt that I could have written the same story after reading the first chapter.
I haven’t the time to discuss all points, but there were very few points that were wisely made in this review.
on April 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Thank you for this review. It’s a tremendous relief to know that I am not the only one who disliked The Kite Runner. I am totally unable to comprehend how this book got so many glowing reviews. I read it because of the hype – I figured, if so many people love it, it must be good. Instead it made me despair for the general public and their appalling idea of what constitutes good literature.
The Kite Runner IS a bad book. It’s poorly written. It reads like a children’s or young adult novel. The language is contrived and uninspired. The characters lack dimension. The plot manages to be simultaneously predictable and unbelievable. The insight into Afghanistan was somewhat interesting, but that wasn’t enough to salvage the book from its the awful writing style, predictable plot, and violence thrown in for shock value. It’s completely mediocre.
I also can’t believe how defensive people are getting about this book. Okay, it was an entertaining enough story if you could suspend disbelief long enough to get through it. But I don’t know how anyone can seriously argue that it’s well-written. Literary equivalent of MacDonald’s – popular crap.
on April 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
First of all, people are entitled to their opinions, so if someone has a different opinion, that does not give ANYONE the right to call someone a racist, an idiot, say people are shallow in their understanding (aka stupid) or criticize people in the way that all of you people are doing. Whether you support the book or not.
Secondly, why don’t all of you try to write a book and get it that good on your first try. Then lets see who’s writing crap!
I personally loved The Kite Runner. It is intriguing and grabs your heart in a way that I have never had a book do before. I agree with Michelle in that who cares if the CIA have more info on Afghanistan! like she said, this is a fictional piece of literature, it is not meant to be an encyclopedia.
Beth’s review is a load of crap, not the book.
And yeah some people are getting defensive because it is a GOOD book. your getting just as defensive when you say that this book is bad. So why dont you all just find something useful to do with your time instead of criticizing someone who is more talented than YOU!!!!!!!!!
on May 2nd, 2008 at 8:24 am
Though you may not know of Johnny Dingus now, you will very soon.
on May 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Thanks for the review, Beth. I was the only one in my book club that didn’t like this book when we read it a few years ago. I thought it was poorly written and we had a very lively (read somewhat acrimonious) discussion at the time. If the book club hadn’t disbanded earlier this year, I’d bring in your review. Maybe I’ll email it to the members anyway.
on May 12th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
well done beth; this review was more entertaining than the book itself!
on June 14th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Beth, the reviewer, and Melanie, one of the commentators, both have my sincere gratitude. I googled the words “Kite Runner” and “bad” because I needed to know that the world was not entirely standing on its head quite yet. I simply can not fathom how this book can be considered anything but bad by people who habitually read serious literature and claim to understand what makes it so. There is much in the arts that is subjective, but this book, I am sorry to say, is objectively primitive in both style and content. I understand how and why someone may be touched by it, its entire purpose seems to be to push emotional buttons of one sort or another, but this has nothing to do with artistic merit, alas. This is a world in which Philip Roth, John Updike, Julian Barnes, and many brilliant others write great literature, thank heavens. This book was not precious reading time well spent.
on June 18th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I just got here by Googling ‘kite runner terrible book’ and I couldn’t agree with the reviewer more. It’s a relief to read my own thoughts reflected. I particularly enjoyed “It takes an awfully bad book to make you feel like the Taliban is being unfairly portrayed.” Quite.
I could add a lot to this review, but will focus on my main additional problem: if boys are sexually abused in any deeply patriarchal, honour-bound culture, do they *really* feel free to tell any number of people about their experience? How would a father react to the news? If a girl is raped in such a culture, her male relatives feel “dis-honoured” and often-times she takes the blame. I think the reactions of the boy actor and his father to the film show that this can be similar for boys. Here’s a quote from the BBC article on the topic (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6992751.stm ), with quotes from the father of the boy who plays Hassan: “‘Of course I’m worried about it,’ he says. ‘My own people from my own tribe will turn against me because of the story. I am so worried they may cut my throat, they may kill me, torture me.’ His son has been quoted as saying he fears his friends will shun him because they think he really was raped.”
To me this book exploits a currently sensational subject (i.e. sexual abuse of boys, e.g. the film Mystic River) from a very Western point of view: none of it read true to me regarding how such a situation would play out in Afghanistan. And he also avoids dealing with the brutal misogyny in such a culture in a very weaselly way (e.g., maybe it’s because the narrator wasn’t brought up around women- like that’s ever prevented a man in an honour-bond patriarchy from taking on those values). The author fails here most miserably when the narrator’s future wife is found to be living as a teenager out-of-wedlock with a boyfriend for a month: the father (an ex-Army General with a strong sense of “honour”) takes a gun but only uses it to threaten the boyfriend, then threaten to kill himself. The girl doesn’t suffer much except for a future lack of suitors.
The “bad guy” who joins the Taliban being a half-German boy who worships Hitler: wha’??
These things made me very suspicious of the book containing anything anyone could learn about Afghanistan: I’m not usually a conspiracy theorist but it almost stinks of propaganda aimed at the masses. And it’s the kind of thing that makes white westerners feel a great emotional catharsis without being challenged on any level, or learning anything- indeed their most deeply held prejudices are confirmed but they get to feel good about themselves.
@Melanie: I enjoyed your post and realise you were probably just having a pleasurable rant, but “It reads like a children’s or young adult novel” – does a huge disservice to many wonderful children’s and young adult novels! :-)
on December 8th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I just finished reading The Kite Runner, fuming at the precious hours I had just wasted. Considering the hype, I wondered if I was, perhaps, the only one feeling this way and am gladdened to see I am not alone. Not only is the book cliched, manipulative, and loaded with ridiculous co-incidences, but the author doesn’t know the difference between “lay” and “lie” (where was the editor?), and irritatingly uses the preposition “like” as a conjunction constantly throughout the entire book. I find it hard to believe that a novel receiving this much attention could be so poorly written.
on February 1st, 2009 at 6:28 am
The Kite Runner is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I think all of you who are criticizing this book are just jealous of the author’s brilliant writing skills!!!
on March 21st, 2009 at 8:04 pm
[...] if you consider the flood of raving reviews out there. Honestly it was difficult to find a bad review that is made by any kind of established institution and not a random [...]
on April 27th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I must admit I did enjoy the first half of the book, but the rest, well all I can say is “oh please”. How many outrageous coincidences can one have in a book, that’s not a comedy, of course!
Also, why do people who read bad reviews of a book they like have to be so nasty towards the reviewer?