Kite Runner Questions

**Please be aware that book discussion questions may contain spoilers**

Synopsis: This powerful bestselling novel written by an Afghani doctor offers the western world a rare first person glimpse into the tribal differences and cultural mores of the often veiled life of everyday Afghanis.

It charts the friendship and betrayal of two close friends, Amir and Hassan, who grow up together during a tumultuous time in Afghani history in which tribal and class differences and cruel life events drive a deep wedge between them.

One is born into servitude, the other into a life of wealth and privilege, yet the changes in Afghani life and its civil war wreak havoc on both their lives in different ways.

Amir and his father emigrate to the US, but their home country still exercises a magnetic pull on them despite being ripped apart by civil war and destruction.

This is a heartbreaking read, full of the weight guilt can have on a person over the years, the nature of right and wrong and the ways redemption is offered in the course of a life.

This is quite a heavy read at times, be prepared to weep and make sure you have a box of tissues ready.

Questions

1. How is the search for redemption reflected in this novel? Do you think Amir manages to redeem himself after wronging Hassan so deeply earlier in his life?
2. How heavily does the past weigh on the present within the character’s lives in this novel? What role does this guilt for the past play in Amir’s life and the choices he makes?
3. What representation of power is made by the reoccurrence of rape within this storyline?
4. What does the symbol of the kite represent in the story?
5. What impressions of life in Afghanistan are made on readers by the telling of this story?
6. Did Amir’s betrayal of Hassan change your feelings about him? Or your alter your enjoyment of the book?