This depth I’m talking about goes for all the sad and horrible events and their connections to the relationships the various characters have. As one example, the Sohrab in the movie is like a kid in a candy shop compared to the Sohrab in the book. In the book we get a much clearer idea, though still small, of what Hassan’s son went through. This child has experienced the murdering of his parents, inhumane living conditions at the orphanage, rape & molestation, witnessing of extreme violence (again hardly magnified in the movie, and the collection of the emotions and pain that accompany such horrors. The book spends a lot of time with Sohrab, really giving the reader a feel for his immense suffering which helps us to understand his lack of will to live.

Also, did anyone make the connection that Amir’s father, Baba, stood up to the attempted sexual assault by the Russian officer, whereas Amir did nothing for Hassan earlier on? Obviously, one of the main points in the relationship is that Amir is different from his father in many ways. And so I thought comparing/contrasting these two scenes is a beautiful illustration that I missed until after reflecting on the book and movie.

And finally, I’d like to address comment #47, namely Farzeen. After reading the book, my impression of the Islamic religion actually bettered. Although there are many pitfalls for such a conservative community in certain places like Afghanistan, I felt the book especially portrayed the people as honorable, decent, and with good intentions. One example that comes to mind is when Baba get’s angry at a shop and criticizes Americans for not honoring honesty as those in his community back home. Amir then explains that credit in Kabul is kept track of by simply making ticks on a broken tree branch per transactions and in due time paid back without questioning the integrity of customers (you who have read the book know what I’m talking about). Of course, it’s a totally different story for the horror the extremist of the faith cause.

Overall, The Kite Runner is a phenomenal narrative, beautifully covering an array of issues. I believe it will stand alone against the test of time as a honored novel.