The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The timely and critically acclaimed debut novel that's becoming a word-of-mouth phenomenon...
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #15 in Books
Published on: 2004-04-27
Released on: 2004-04-27
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
400 pages
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg

From Publishers Weekly
Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of his childhood friend after the boy's parents are shot during the Taliban takeover in the mid '90s. Amir, the son of a well-to-do Kabul merchant, is the first-person narrator, who marries, moves to California and becomes a successful novelist. But he remains haunted by a childhood incident in which he betrayed the trust of his best friend, a Hazara boy named Hassan, who receives a brutal beating from some local bullies. After establishing himself in America, Amir learns that the Taliban have murdered Hassan and his wife, raising questions about the fate of his son, Sohrab. Spurred on by childhood guilt, Amir makes the difficult journey to Kabul, only to learn the boy has been enslaved by a former childhood bully who has become a prominent Taliban official. The price Amir must pay to recover the boy is just one of several brilliant, startling plot twists that make this book memorable both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. The character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut, from the portrait of the sensitive, insecure Amir to the multilayered development of his father, Baba, whose sacrifices and scandalous behavior are fully revealed only when Amir returns to Afghanistan and learns the true nature of his relationship to Hassan. Add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This beautifully written first novel presents a glimpse of life in Afghanistan before the Russian invasion and introduces richly drawn, memorable characters. Quiet, intellectual Amir craves the attention of his father, a wealthy Kabul businessman. Kind and self-confident Hassan is the son of Amir's father's servant. The motherless boys play together daily, and when Amir wins the annual kite contest, Hassan offers to track down the opponent's runaway kite as a prize. When he finds it, the neighborhood bullies trap and rape him, as Amir stands by too terrified to help. Their lives and their friendship are forever changed, and the memory of his cowardice haunts Amir as he grows into manhood. Hassan and his father return to the village of their ancestors, and later Amir and his father flee to Los Angeles to avoid political persecution. Amir attends college, marries, and fulfills his dream of becoming a writer. When Amir receives word of his former friend's death under the Taliban, he returns to Kabul to learn the fate of Hassan's son. This gripping story of personal redemption will capture readers' interest.
Penny Stevens, Andover College, Portland, ME
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews

Mesmerizing
This book draws you in from the first pages. It is an excellent account of life in Afghanistan. I really had no interest in it until I saw all the hype and let me tell you, it meets it. You do not have to have any curiousity about Afghan life - the story is what gets you. It would be great no matter where the story took place. The books keeps you interested in every chapter and I found it very hard to put down.

Captivating!
Seldom has there been a book that grabbed my attention like this fascinating story--from the very first page, I was hooked. I felt I got a rare view into Afghan culture--yes, but the story itself was powerful. What makes this novel so compelling is that it touches on universal themes. Doesn't matter that it takes place on the other side of the world.What binds us and what divides us from one another is something every human can relate to.

I thoroughly recommend, along with SIM0N LAZARUS--another equally captivating read that -despite its opposite cultural portrayal (American)--touches on life's universal and unshakeable truths.

WOW ! A great masterpiece !
I must admit I first took a look at this book because the movie was in theaters and I was curious about it. WOW ! I was not disapointed. After taking a short look at the reviews and the book itself, I bought it right away. Then I read it in 4 days and I have never been so much taken away by a book (I usually take a 3-4 weeks to get slowly through a 500-page novel).

This book has it all. Friendship, love, family, redemption, history facts, great narrator, great writing, and most of all truly authentic and lovely characters tight to each other by powerful links. I never truly get emotive while reading a fiction book. This one almost made be cry.

To the opposite of numerous novels, this one doesn't contain any "fills" to increase the number of pages. It could even have been longer. Usually I'm quite impatient to see the last page. While reading this story I felt like time had stop.

The mix of fiction story and true historic facts (mainly about Afghanistan of course) is very interesting. I also felt the book is a very accessible read, it is a great story to read for almost anyone.

With the low-priced paperback available, this one is a must !!! I'm looking forward to read the author's second book, "A thousand splendid suns".