The Kite Runner

Description

The Kite Runner is the first book by Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini, which was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books. It is about Amir’s childhood in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul amidst Afghanistan’s political turmoil: the fall of the monarchy, the Soviet Union invasion, the refugees migrating to Pakistan and the U.S., and the Taliban rising.

Hosseini has said that the novel is a book about the father-son relationship, and family dynamics are central. It deals extensively with themes of guilt and redemption, particularly in one major moment when Amir watches his friend Hassan being raped and does nothing to save him, which leads to the dissolution of their friendship. The second half of the book follows Amir’s search for redemption as he tries to save Hassan’s son many years later.

The Kite Runner was immediately commercially successful, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for more than two years, selling seven million plus copies in the US alone. Though it was getting rave reviews for the writing, parts of the story greatly offended many in Afghanistan. The book has been adapted into a film in 2007, plays, graphic novel, and audiobook narrated by the author himself.