This one was on my 'To-Read' list for so long! I'm glad I finally got around to it 😊
The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini and was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books. It is a poignant tale of the improbable friendship between two Afghan boys, a traumatic betrayal and a lifelong quest for redemption.
The novel became a bestseller after being printed in paperback and was promoted in book clubs. It appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years with over seven million copies sold in the United States. A number of adaptations were created following publication, including a 2007 film of the same name, several stage performances, and a graphic novel. The novel is also available in a multi-CD audiobook read by the author.
***Plot***
Hassan and Amir grow up together in the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul in Afghanistan. While Amir is the son of a respected Pashtun businessman and philanthropist, Hassan is the son of a Hazara servant, who has been dutifully serving Amir's family for decades. Both the motherless boys forge a close bond and are inseparable until the winter of 1975.
Desperate to win the approval of his impassive father, twelve-year old Amir is dead set on winning the local Kite flying tournament with the aid of his faithful accomplice Hassan. As far as Amir’s father is concerned, his son’s kite flying capabilities overshadow an untapped flair for writing. Amir is ecstatic when he wins the tournament and an overjoyed Hassan, who happens to be the best kite runner in the city, bolts to retrieve the fallen kite. But what happens next irrevocably changes the course of Amir and Hassan’s life. Amir makes a series of grave mistakes that rips apart the friendship and leaves him with a lifetime of all-consuming guilt and regret.
A few years later, with Afghanistan under Soviet occupation, Amir and his father flee Kabul and eventually forge a new life in the United States. Amir completes his education, gets married and embarks on a career as a writer. He adapts to his new life in the West but thoughts of Hassan and Ali keep tormenting him. One day, he gets a call from Pakistan from his father’s oldest friend and confidant, Rahim Khan, who is dying.
In Pakistan, Amir learns a devastating truth that shakes the foundation of his life. He is presented with an opportunity to right the wrongs of his childhood. But to do this, Amir has to battle with the demons of his past and display the kind of courage, he has never known.
To know if there reconciliation and redemption in Amir’s story, you will have to read the book to find out!
