The Kite Runner

Summary

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's 2003 debut novel, is a powerful story of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against the backdrop of Afghanistan's tumultuous recent history. It follows the life of Amir, a privileged Pashtun boy from Kabul, and his complex relationship with Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant.

Spanning several decades, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion and rise of the Taliban, the novel provides a deeply personal perspective on the country's social and political upheavals. Hosseini's vivid depiction of Afghan society and traditions offered many Western readers their first intimate glimpse into life in Afghanistan beyond news headlines. At the same time, the book's exploration of guilt, atonement, and the bonds between fathers and sons resonated with readers across cultures. A New York Times bestseller, The Kite Runner has been translated into more than 40 languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

Plot

The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from a wealthy Pashtun family in Kabul, Afghanistan, and his close friend, Hassan, the son of his father’s Hazara servant. The novel begins in the 1970s, when Amir and Hassan spend their days flying kites in the peaceful city. Hassan is a talented kite runner who can predict where kites will land. Their idyllic childhood is shattered when Amir witnesses Hassan being assaulted by the neighborhood bully, Assef, but fails to intervene. Wracked with guilt, Amir distances himself from Hassan. Eventually, he frames his friend for theft, causing Hassan and his father, Ali, to leave their household.

The story then jumps to 1979, when the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. Amir and his father Baba flee to California. As Amir grows up and pursues his dream of becoming a writer, he remains haunted by his betrayal of Hassan. Years later, Amir receives a call from his father's old friend Rahim Khan, asking him to return to Afghanistan. Rahim reveals that Hassan was actually Amir's half-brother and that Hassan has been killed by the Taliban. He asks Amir to rescue Hassan's young son Sohrab from an orphanage in Kabul.

Amir travels to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and discovers that Sohrab has been taken by a Taliban official. This official turns out to be Assef, who is now keeping Sohrab as a dancing boy. Amir confronts Assef to save Sohrab, resulting in a brutal fight. Sohrab saves Amir by shooting Assef's eye with a slingshot. Amir manages to escape with Sohrab and eventually brings him back to America, hoping to adopt him and atone for his past sins.

The novel concludes with Amir taking Sohrab to a kite-fighting tournament in San Francisco. As Amir runs to catch the kite for Sohrab, he repeats Hassan's loyal words: “For you, a thousand times over.” This gesture symbolizes Amir's redemption and his commitment to being there for Sohrab, just as Hassan had always been there for him.

Themes

• Redemption and atonement
• Father-son relationships
• Betrayal and guilt
• Social class and ethnic tensions
• The immigrant experience
• The power of friendship
• The impact of political upheaval on personal lives

Setting

The story in The Kite Runner spans several decades, beginning in the 1970s and extending to the early 2000s. The novel opens in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the final years of the Afghan monarchy. This era is portrayed as a time of relative peace and prosperity, before the upheaval of war and Taliban rule that would soon follow.

Much of the early part of the novel is set in Kabul’s affluent Wazir Akbar Khan district, where the protagonist, Amir, grows up. The story then shifts dramatically as Soviet forces invade Afghanistan in 1979, forcing Amir and his father to flee. They escape to Pakistan and eventually emigrate to the United States, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. The middle portion of the novel takes place in this new American setting. \

In the final section, the narrative returns to Afghanistan, now under oppressive Taliban control. The Kabul that Amir encounters upon his return is a stark contrast to the city of his youth—war-torn, impoverished, and ruled by religious extremism. Key scenes also take place in Pakistan, as Amir searches for his childhood friend's orphaned son. Through these varied settings, Hosseini traces the turbulent recent history of Afghanistan alongside his characters' personal journeys.

Characters

• Amir: The protagonist and narrator. A well-to-do Pashtun boy growing up in Kabul, Amir struggles with guilt over betraying his childhood friend Hassan. As an adult, he seeks redemption by rescuing Hassan's son from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Amir becomes a successful writer in America but is haunted by his past actions.
• Hassan: Amir's loyal childhood friend and servant. A Hazara boy with a cleft lip, Hassan is kind, brave, selfless, and an expert kite runner. He is sexually assaulted by the neighborhood bully, Assef, and betrayed by Amir. Years later, Hassan is executed by the Taliban.
• Baba: Amir's father, a wealthy and well-respected businessman in Kabul. A strong-willed man, he struggles to connect with his sensitive son, Amir, and dotes on Hassan. After fleeing to America, Baba works at a gas station to support Amir. He dies of cancer shortly after Amir's wedding.
• Ali: Hassan's single father and Baba's loyal servant. A crippled Hazara man who was raised alongside Baba after his parents were killed, Ali is humble and loyal to the family. He leaves with his son after Hassan is framed for theft.
• Rahim Khan: Baba's close friend and business partner. He encourages Amir's writing as a child and later summons Amir back to Pakistan, revealing the truth about Hassan and setting Amir on the path to redemption.
• Soraya Taheri: Amir's wife. The daughter of an Afghan general living in California, she has a past indiscretion but is honest about it with Amir before they marry. She supports Amir's writing career and desire to adopt Sohrab.
• Assef: The novel's antagonist. A sociopathic half-German, half-Pashtun boy who assaults Hassan as a child. As an adult, he becomes a Taliban official who keeps Sohrab as a slave.
• Sohrab: Hassan's son, rescued by Amir from Kabul. Traumatized by his experiences, he attempts suicide but eventually begins to heal and bond with Amir in America.
• General Taheri: Soraya's father, a former Afghan military leader now living in California. He is concerned with honor and appearances.
• Khala Jamila: Soraya's mother. She dotes on Amir after he marries Soraya.
• Farid: An Afghan taxi driver who helps Amir navigate Taliban-controlled Kabul in his search for Sohrab.

Quick facts

• The Kite Runner was Khaled Hosseini's debut novel, published in 2003 when he was 38 years old.
• Hosseini was inspired to write the book after learning the Taliban had banned kite flying in Afghanistan in 1999.
• The novel was initially a 25-page short story, which Hosseini expanded at a friend's suggestion.
• It took Hosseini about two years to write The Kite Runner while working full-time as a doctor.
• The novel’s vivid depiction of kite fighting was based on Hosseini's childhood experiences in Kabul.
• The Kite Runner became an international bestseller and has sold more than seven million copies in the United States alone.
• The novel appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for more than two years.
• The Kite Runner was adapted into a film in 2007, directed by Marc Forster and starring Khalid Abdalla.
• The novel also inspired a play, adapted for the stage by Matthew Spangler, which premiered at San Jose Repertory Theatre in 2009.
• The Kite Runner has been translated into more than 40 languages and published in more than 70 countries.
• Hosseini was born in Kabul and left Afghanistan as a teenager in 1980. He did not return to his native country until after writing The Kite Runner.
• The Kite Runner received several accolades, including the South African Boeke Prize in 2004.
• In 2013, to mark the novel's 10th anniversary, a special edition of The Kite Runner was published with a new introduction by the author.