well this is a sad birthday haha but at least i got to finished the book
The Book
I'd say I love this book though quite controversial to some. I can't speak how accurately it represents Afghanistan--the people, culture, or history however a lot of Afghan natives in online forums said it is not. It is fiction after all.
The book tells the story of the brotherly love between a wealthy Pashtun boy, Amir, and his Hazara servant, Hassan, during the cruel war between Afghanistan and Russia. Amir and Hassan grow up together just like true brothers. The racial barrier between Pashtuns, who are a superior race, and Hazaras, who are commonly viewed as inferior slaves, does not hinder Amir and Hassan from forming a strong brother bond. Their relationship is beyond one of a master and a servant; beyond two companions. They are two souls bond tightly by love, friendship, and loyalty. However, just like the brief calmness before a storm, a betrayal in a dark alley unwinds the once-unbreakable bond between Amir and Hassan. Their relationship is further shattered by more sacrifices, tears, and lies.
The main character, Amir, come off as an envious child but he seems to be an accurate representation of what most humans would do. We think of ourselves highly but can't accept how incredibly flawed and coward we are. Our fear of failure stops us from becoming the better version of ourselves. But, this is what The Kite Runner is all about, right? Shame, guilt, regret, and ultimately, redemption. I could say a lot of things how I like this book, let us make this simple for now.
Considering this is Mr. Hosseini's debut novel. I really loved the way he writes. I might pick up "A Thousand Splendid Suns", which a lot of people have been saying that it is the best book of his. Overall, I think The Kite Runner is a good read, I would recommend it to anyone really.
The Film (adaptation of the novel)
Compared to the book, which was brutal and violent. The film is rather tame. A lot of scenes from the book are cut-off or altered, which I understand considering the nature of the book. Both the book and the movie are
based on the same storyline and sharing the same main themes
of regret, betrayal, war’s destructive impact and the idea of
recovering from a sin. we feel that in Rahim’s Khan words
(the best friend of Amir’s father) when he says to Amir” You
should come back, there is a way to be good again”
Here are the omissions that I noticed:
- the cleft lip of Hassan was not mentioned at all in the
movie, we did not see any mention to this important physical
trait in Hasan’s face.
- the birthday present in the movie that Baba bought for Hassan was just the kite rather than the surgery.
- in the film, Amir moved to America when he was only 13 years old, which is different from the book as he was 18.
- Assef's raping of Hassan was not fully presented as it was in
the book (this is understandable, for obvious reasons).
- the funeral scene of Amir's father in the film depicts the
Christian method of burial rather than the Islamic method
- Soraya's confession to
Amir regarding her previous romantic relationship with a man
, occurred over the phone rather than in face to face , as
depicted in the film.
- we did not see the moment of
Sohrab committing suicide when his uncle told him that he
would send him to an orphanage temporarily, despite the fact
that it was portrayed in length in the novel.
- the beating of Amir was tame compared to the novel, where he was hospitalized.
- Assef is not a Half-German Nazi in the film.
- the adoption for Sohrab was quick in the film, they just boarded a flight to America while in the novel it had some government and visa issues, also the reason why Sohrab attempted to kill himself.
- Amir and Hassan's first encounter with Assef was in the hill, taunting them with his brass knuckles, while in the movie they encountered Assef in the streets of the bazaar with no brass knuckles in sight.
- In the novel, the first chapter is Amir discussing the phone call he received from Rahim Khan. However, in the movie, Amir picks up the phone before the flashback happens.
- When Amir begins to write his own stories, Rahim Khan’s entrance into this portion of Amir’s life differs. In the movie, Rahim Khan invites himself in, whereas in the book he only enters when Baba ignores Amir’s newly found talent.
- Amir's reaction to Hassan's death is less emotional than in the novel
- In the novel, Rahim Khan tricks Amir into going for Sohrab by saying there is an orphanage run by a couple of Americans who will surely take him in. In the movie, they jump right to the case and flat out tell Amir to adopt Sohrab, missing the element of deceit and Amir’s inner struggle.
- Farid was in the majority of Amir's journey in Afghanistan while in the movie he was just in a few scenes.
- There were holes dug up for the two people who was killed by throwing rocks in the novel. But in the movie they just put the bodies in the truck.
There are probably more scenes that I have overlooked but you should know most film adaptations of novels are always like this. I did enjoy watching the film even though a lot of scenes are cut. Anyway, I would rate the BOOK
(4 and half brains out of 5)
