Oof. I knew this would be a heavy, heartbreaking book going in, but I was still in tears for most of the second half. I was forced to confront the loss of innocence and childhood that is part of war and violent regime changes. While it was difficult to read about, I felt that the portrayal of trauma and grief was true to life.

Additionally, I think that Kite Runner pairs very well with A Thousand Splendid Suns in showing how the Taliban affected life across gender, class, and ethnicity.