Contents
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Overview
Amir arrives in Peshawar and reunites with a gravely ill Rahim Khan. Rahim describes Kabul’s devastation under the Northern Alliance and the Taliban, including the destruction of Baba’s orphanage. Rejecting treatment abroad, Rahim reveals Hassan lived with him and signals a significant request, steering Amir toward a moral reckoning.
Summary
Amir lands in Peshawar and takes a chaotic taxi ride through “Afghan Town,” recalling Kabul markets and life with Hassan. He reaches a modest flat and is shocked by Rahim Khan’s frail condition. They share tea and exchange updates: Amir’s marriage to Soraya, his writing, and memories of Baba.
Conversation turns to Afghanistan’s turmoil. Rahim Khan recounts Kabul’s factional warfare under the Northern Alliance, people tunneling through homes to avoid snipers, and the initial relief when the Taliban seized control. He details the Taliban’s brutality, including a stadium beating for cheering and the imposition of dehumanizing rules.
Rahim Khan reveals the Alliance destroyed Baba’s orphanage as collateral damage, devastating Amir. A wrenching coughing fit exposes Rahim Khan’s grave illness; he admits he is dying and declines Amir’s offer of American medical care, citing pragmatism and faith.
With time short, Rahim Khan says he summoned Amir for more than a farewell. He discloses that Hassan lived with him in Baba’s house after Amir and Baba left. Weighed by guilt, Amir agrees to listen as Rahim prepares to tell Hassan’s full story and to ask Amir for a consequential favor.
Who Appears
- AmirNarrator; travels to Peshawar, reunites with Rahim Khan, hears of Kabul’s devastation, learns Hassan lived with Rahim, and anticipates a serious request.
- Rahim KhanGravely ill mentor; recounts Kabul’s suffering, the orphanage’s destruction, declines treatment, reveals Hassan lived with him, and readies a request of Amir.
- GholamTalkative, reckless taxi driver who ferries Amir through Peshawar’s Afghan neighborhoods to Rahim Khan’s flat.