CHAPTER FOUR

Amir opens with a family history: in 1933, after two privileged brothers killed a Hazara couple, Amir’s esteemed judge grandfather ordered them into the army and adopted the victims’ orphaned son, Ali. Ali was raised in the household alongside Baba, though never called Baba’s friend, setting a pattern of intimacy constrained by class and ethnicity.

Amir reflects that the same dynamic shapes his life with Hassan: deep shared childhood—flying kites, cinema outings, strolls through Shar-e-Nau, and a carved claim on a pomegranate tree as “the sultans of Kabul”—yet bounded by Pashtun–Hazara, Sunni–Shi’a divides. Their routine underscores roles: Hassan serves, prays with Ali, and manages chores while Amir attends school and reads to him in the cemetery.

Amir revels in controlling words, sometimes teasing Hassan’s illiteracy, even as they bond over the Shahnamah, especially “Rostam and Sohrab.” In July 1973, after improvising a story while pretending to read, Hassan’s delighted response inspires Amir to write his first short story about a man whose tears turn to pearls and whose greed drives him to tragedy. Seeking approval, Amir brings it to Baba, who shows scant interest; Rahim Khan instead reads it, praises its irony, and leaves an encouraging note that buoys Amir.

That night, Amir reads the story to Hassan, who applauds and predicts Amir’s greatness but gently asks why the character didn’t simply use an onion to cry. The obvious plot hole humiliates Amir and triggers a prejudiced inner voice, even as he struggles with love and shame. Before he can respond, events outside intrude: Afghanistan suddenly changes forever, signaling the start of national upheaval that will shadow their lives.