Chapter 11-12

As the chapter begins, Amir and Baba are in California, America. Amir says that Baba liked the idea of living in America but actually living there was a problem which is later shown with the incident in the store. Baba has a hard time adapting and does not want to change either.
Amir says America was a place for him to bury his memories and for Baba a place to mourn his. Amir graduates from high school and goes to college to be a writer. Baba is not happy with this decision but Amir stands his ground which I thought was the right thing to do.

I like the way Amir likens America to a river where he can drown his sins and bury them at the bottom. “If for nothing else, for that, I embraced America.”

Later they describe the flea markets which I think serves as a safe haven for Baba and brings him back memories of Afghanistan. This is also the place where Amir meets a girl named Soraya which he falls in love with.

After they get to close and her father mentions this, Amir gets upset but not for long since Baba gets sick after that. It turns out that he has cancer and that he is going to die soon and Baba does not want chemo therapy.
When Baba is very close to dying, Amir asks him to go khastegari. And Baba gets very happy. They go to the general’s house and after they talked for a while, the general accepts. But before, Soraya tells Amir her secret about running away with a man in Virginia. Amir envies her for being able to tell the truth.