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colormecaro's review against another edition
5.0
This year I have befriended a family of Afghan refugees (and by that I mean I have pretty much been adopted into their family), and the heartache I feel for them and their country made this book hit very differently. My friends fled Afghanistan over twenty years after this book’s plot ends, and yet the situation there has not changed for the better. This might be a work of fiction but the pain in it is so real and so unimaginable to me.
I am also in awe of the language and use of parallels in this book. Khaled Hosseini’s descriptions are real and harrowing, but they never feel forced. There is so much emotional depth. I normally struggle with unlikeable characters and the main character definitely is a little shit at the beginning of the book, but Hosseini achieves to write him in a way that makes me not hate him or want to put the book down.
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
beanbag0509's review against another edition
3.5
easily, the most gripping parts of this book are in its characters and the trauma they endure, as well as the conflicts they grabble with. i appreciate the emotional roller coaster this put me through, i got some healthy cries out of it.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Hate crime and Homophobia
taylorlanxon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
greeeer_e_rutt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Excrement, Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
meliacartin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
racquellemulvey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Classism
becky2104's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
rberdan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
From the joy of kite running to graphic abuse to the complexities of relationship, I felt so much of this book deeply. I’m a white woman from the Global North, so there are many aspects of this book that are far from my own lived experiences, and yet the desire to undo regret and redeem oneself, to simply be loved by those we admire most, and to get away from kindness that feels undeserved… these are things I can relate to. While I know conceptually of the history of the Taliban and of issues with immigration, there is an immersive reality in the storytelling that allowed me to understand in a different way. There is a recurring theme of shame and being loved anyway that is truly beautiful and touching.
Amir’s own self loathing is so beautifully captured that I found myself struggling to like him much. Seeing his family and Hassan through his eyes was so interesting as I got to love them along with him. I ultimately could feel compassion for him as he found his way to loving others. I struggled to forgive him as he struggled to forgive himself, even though his greatest regret was still something he did (or didn’t do) as a child.
All of that said, I also felt that there was almost too much “other people are good and I’m bad” in the story. I get that it’s Amir’s point of view, and I also feel that there’s more nuance than this in who we are as humans.
In the end, I absolutely adored Sohrab and my heart broke for all that he’d endured at such a young age. I ended the book with so much hope for what could be on the other side of his early days.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, and Classism
count_of_carabas's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Classism
thelols4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt