Chapter 24 Sohrab is obviously a very damaged little boy. Not only has he been badly abused, but he carries the guilt of what he did to Assef and the fact he is beginning to forget what his parents looked like. Sohrab runs away and Amir frantically chases after and finds him. Amir comforts him, like a caring father would. He invites him to go back to the USA with him. “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” Sohrab is terrified of being returned to an orphanage, but Amir promises he won’t be. Amir rings Soraya and finally confesses his story to her and feels a sense of relief, “something lifting off my chest”. She agrees to Sohrab moving to America, demonstrating real love for her husband. Amir goes to the American embassy. LI: Engage with further chapters in the book / Analyse key scenes, looking at literary techniques and themes

Chapter 24 Mr Andrews appears to ignore Sohrab altogether. He is only interested in lovingly caring for his tomato plant. “Andrews was standing in a rectangle of sunlight, absently staring out the window, his hands turning the potted tomato plants toward the sun, petting them lovingly.” Why is this? Andrews’ daughter committed suicide – he is clearly not dealing with this very well and ignoring this tragedy by focusing elsewhere. He is the Amir of times past – not the Amir of today, who is pro-active in changing his life. There are difficulties with getting a visa for Sohrab and Amir admits that he might have to go into an orphanage for a while. Through Soraya, he then finds a solution and goes to tell Sohrab the good news – but Sohrab, fearing the orphanage, has tried to commit suicide. “Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode. Later, they said I was still screaming when the ambulance arrived.” LI: Engage with further chapters in the book / Analyse key scenes, looking at literary techniques and themes