Opening the pages of the first AP Literature book assigned to me for the year, I would never have realized just how important and impactful the pages of this novel would be to me. The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, follows Amir’s journey from early adolescence, his most gut-wrenching memories, to his final redemption at the end of the novel. Everything in the book entranced my attention and captivated my interest in what would happen next. The writing style and slow build-up to an explosion of trauma during the climax of the book all gravitated my eyes back to the pages. Although writing a breakdown of the plot would ruin the story for any would-be readers, I will still give my spoiler-free opinion on the novel.
The pure sadness of watching so many emotional moments Amir had to live through to reach his final redemption; it’s a distinctly human anti-hero who handles very morbid events and has to overcome some of his own most challenging personal hurdles. Watching the emotions portrayed by a character with very obvious faults was a nice refresher to the perfect characters that literature often portrays. Overall, the book is a must-read for any student wanting to embrace a new kind of novel that handles heavy topics and a well-written “redemption” for Amir.