I recently read The Kite Runner by Khalid Husseini. Ilove reading an actual book, holding it in my hands,reading it page by page, and getting so absorbed that Iforget all sorts of distractions. Books can impact us dueto our mental state and what is happening worldwidewhile reading. Yes, I am talking about the wars: RussiaUkraine and Israel-Palestine. I must say that severaltimes while reading the book, I thanked God for what Ihad: a sense of security, fearlessness, freedom, pride, ahouse to live in, warm clothes and countless otherblessings! We all live with qualms and struggles, andreading this book made me realize my worries weremeaningless compared to what

The Kite Runner’scharacters had gone through due to their dilemmas andthe Soviet-Afghan war!The Kite Runner portrayed Afghanistan when it was aprosperous, peaceful country and, what it became afterthe Soviet-Afghan war and then the Taliban era, how thewar changed the country, lives and culture forever! It is astory told in twenty-five chapters of Amir and Hassan,two half-brothers living in the same house, yet with amassive difference in the degree of status, respect,education, courage, and loyalty. Hassan lived a life of aloyal servant to Amir and his friend to have fun, fly kites,and play, yet he never expected treatment equal to Amirand never enjoyed the status Amir enjoyed living at hisdad’s house. Hassan lived in a small servant quarter. Heremained unaware that Amir was his half-brother,whereas this was unveiled to Amir only after Hassan waskilled in Afghanistan years after they had parted. Hassanhas taken care of Amir’s big house with all his love andloyalty since Amir fled from Afghanistan at a young agewith his dad to save their lives. Hassan could not go withthem despite his dad having wished him to.Hassan was a sincere friend, an innocent and loyal soulnot cognisant of feelings of jealousy. Amir would alwaysread his books to him, as Hassan did not have theprivilege of learning to read. Hassan had so manychallenges in his life being thin-lipped Hazara consideredas a low caste; his mother ran away when he was veryyoung, his real dad abandoned him just for the sake ofpride and honour, he got raped while Amir stayedprotected, yet lived with guilt all his life that he made noefforts to save him. Hassan confessed to stealing, whichhe was not responsible for; Amir hid some valuablesunder his mattress to escape Hassan’s friendship andguilt. He was Amir’s friend only when Amir wanted to.Hassan suffered at the hands of fate, family, friends andthe war!

Amir lived a life of privilege. The privilege of honour andpride, wealth, education, and servants. Yet, he always feltthat his dad did not love him as he desired. Amir wasperhaps jealous of how his dad loved Hassan, too. Amir'sdad was only his, and this was the lie he lived with. Hisdad once said to Amir when he was young:

There’s only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Everyother sin is a variation of theft.

At that early age, Innocent Amir was oblivious to the factthat his dad was a thief, too! His theft was not telling thetruth that Hassan was Amir’s illegitimate brother. Hisdad was miserable when he and Amir left for Pakistanand then escaped to the US, and Hassan stayed back inAfghanistan. Amir’s dad lived all his life in punishmentfor his theft and could not confess his theft to his son,Amir and died of cancer without seeing Hassan everagain since he left Afghanistan.

Amir and his dad left their pride back in Afghanistanwhen they flew. They made it to Pakistan and then to theUS with a fresh start as immigrants. Their journeys werenot easy and were full of traumatic and cruel experiences.Amir and his dad had a rough start in the US.Nonetheless, they stayed connected with the Afghancommunity, resulting in Amir getting married to theAfghan woman he fell for at the traditional Afghanwedding, which had many guests and lavish food andmusic.

Amir’s wife had run away with a man a few years backand was brought back home by his dad after a short while.Amir’s wife opened up to Amir before marriage, and heaccepted her regardless of whether this was known in thecommunity and they judged her for her past. On the otherhand, Amir remained unable to lift the weight off hischest by sharing his secrets with his wife. He consideredher luckier and more courageous since telling the truthmust have made her feel lighter forever. He became awriter, and his wife was passionate about teaching andenjoyed her job. Amir’s dad passed away soon after hismarriage. Amir and his wife lived a good life but couldnot have children. Adoption kept coming underdiscussion; however, it could never materialize.

Hassan’s memories and miseries could never set Amirfree. Yet he could never try to connect with or inquireabout him from someone. One day, suddenly, when hegot a call from Rahim Khan requesting to see him, hetook him back to Pakistan in his late thirties. He showedAmir Hassan’s family photo with his son and asked himto bring him from Afghanistan as Hassan and his wifealready sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan, not agreeingto give Amir’s house to the Taliban’s possession. Amirdid not agree to go to Afghanistan initially but ended upgoing there in search of Hassan’s son. The journey wasdifficult, and finding Sohrab, Hassan’s son, was evenharder. He went to the orphanage where he was supposedto find Sohrab. They told Amir that Sohrab was taken byforce by the Taliban as they would always pick a girl andsometimes a boy. The purpose was obvious: sexualassault! If the orphanage did not agree, all children couldbe at risk.

Amir was shocked to hear that just like his father, Sohrabalso got abused. By this time, he was adamant that hewould find Sohrab no matter what, and he did. Yet again,this wasn’t easy. He encountered another shock when hereached where Sohrab was supposed to be found. Sohrabwas in Assef’s possession, the same person who abusedHassan in his childhood. Sohrab was an innocent childand was getting inhuman treatment by Assef and hisservants. Assef challenged Amir to fight him to getSohrab. He desired to insult Amir and had greatconfidence in his capabilities and Amir’s inability tofight. The fight happened in a closed room in Sohrab’spresence. Assef was right, and Amir was getting badlybeaten by Assef. It was Sohrab who, in the end, savedAmir’s life by hitting Assef in his eye, and they bothescaped.

Rescuing Sohrab from Afghanistan to Pakistan was againanother test. After Amir’s recovery from his injuries inPakistan, he approached the US embassy to bring Sohrabwith him. After a considerable struggle, he brings him tothe US. Amir was a different person now. He hadwitnessed inhuman acts and was much more courageousthan ever before to disclose his and his dad’s thefts, morereligious than ever before, praying for Sohrab’s life andrecovery.

Sohrab’s war experiences, killing of his parents, poverty,abuse, experiences at an orphanage, helplessness,powerlessness, having no say in choosing what kind oflife he wanted and where, and struggle to survive madehim someone who did not want to develop eye contactwith anyone, interact or talk or even smile. Amir wouldspend his life taking care of Sohrab only in the hope thathe could someday return to life!

The wars do not only kill; they destroy generations andhumankind. The damage done is irrecoverable! Noreligion on earth permits this. The wars start and don’tend; the rest of the world only condemns, deliversspeeches, sends aid, protests, shares videos, prays, andappeals, yet the wars linger. It’s time to end all wars,ceasefire and learn to live in peace.

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About Reviewer

Mahrukh is a young professional working in the field ofbanking and finance. Her commitment to social causes andglobal harmony underscores her values and aspirationsbeyond her professional endeavours.

Correspondance: mahrukhqureshi@outlook.com