I had read the Kite Runner before this assignment, and for me it was the poster child for 'why never to judge a book by a first-time read.' I had completely forgotten most of what actually happens in the book and I was not excited to read it again.
Fortunately, once I started it, I became intrigued.
I began to notice many similarities between and American kid's childhood and Amir's. The way he described winter break could easily be paralleled to my summer vacations--lots of freedom and the excitement of being away from school. I could also relate to his enjoyment of the first snowfall of the season..."the soft pattering of snowfall against my window at night." I could relate to the dynamics of the family gathering in Jalalabad. And even the sad truth of a father being much more excited for soccer (or football or basketball or baseball) season than his son is. Really, these things show that what Farid explained when Amir re-entered Afghanistan was true: Amir had never really known the real Afghanistan. I don't really know what that does to the story for me. I suppose part of me is comforted by the cliched fact that kids all over the world feel the way that I do. But it also kind of makes me spiteful towards Hosseini for giving me a false sense of what Afghanistan was really like.
However, the connection that I felt continued to grow. Although Amir was clearly a person that I was supposed to hate, I found myself identifying with some of the general feelings that he was dealing with. Such as the jealousy he felt, the guilt he held for decades, and the lack of courage that he had in handling a situation. As Amir grew, I found myself wanting to defend and comfort him--those are normal things to feel Amir!
Yet, there was still that hate.
It was something Hosseini would never let you forget. The minute a passive attitude pops into the mind...BAM! Something terrible happens in Amir's life that makes it seem like he is getting what he deserves. I kind of hate Hosseini for that.
As for marking in my book, I would say that this was the best of the three. I was doing text to self and obviously found some connections, and was writing things down pretty regularly, but the last half just seemed to not give me a lot to say.
Overall, I was glad to read the book again. It was entertaining and little bit self-reflective.
I know, right?! I find this so troubling, but I do it too: "Although Amir was clearly a person that I was supposed to hate, I found myself identifying with some of the general feelings that he was dealing with."
ReplyDeleteI actually preferred this book on my second read too. I liked it when I first read it, but I really liked it better the second time. I was able to enjoy the characters more, I think.