Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - เด็กเก็บว่าว

I first read this book over 10 years ago, when I was old enough to understand it but definitely didn’t know much context around it. I’m so glad I picked it up again now that I have a better understanding.

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.

Content Warnings

eliisar's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

shamelessbibliophile41's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

beanbag0509's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional medium-paced

3.5

i believe i started the book in high school, but stopped just before chapter 7. picked it back up several years later, and i'm glad i waited. just like in 'to kill a mockingbird', i found the side characters (especially the more oppressed ones) to be more intriguing to me than the main character/narrator; and just as similarly, this novel's politics seem to be painted with a fairly wide brush.

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.

Content Warnings

emry23's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

yulisaperez's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The anguish captured in the pages of this book is indescribable. I cry enough as is and this sent me over the edge several times, like I genuinely needed to take a break. Although it was often times hard to read, the different journeys our characters took kept me dedicated to every page and I am so grateful I picked this up. The only "negative" comment I have is that the pace felt a bit too slow at times, but that's really just my personal preference so don't let it deter you from giving it a chance. I could go on and on about how much I love this book and how much the characters and their experiences impacted me but there are better, more put together, reviews for that than mine!

I will remember Hassan forever. His character, his love, his generosity, and everything in between.

Content Warnings

More...