The Kite Runner

An astonishing debut novel, already being called the defining novel of the new century, and its author— a living classic. “The Kite Runner” is a tender, subtle, and deeply moving story of friendship and loyalty, of betrayal and redemption. Warm, delicate, ironic, and in the best sense sentimental, Khaled Hosseini’s novel reads like a painting you could look at forever. Amira and Hassan were separated by a chasm. One belonged to the local aristocracy, the other to the despised minority. One had a beautiful and important father, the other—an injured and pitiful one. One was an avid reader, the other illiterate. Hassan’s harelip was seen by everyone, while Amira’s ugly scars were hidden deep inside. But no one could be closer to them than these two boys. Their story unfolds against a backdrop of Kabul idyll that will soon give way to ominous storms. The boys are like two paper kites—caught by the storm and scattered in different directions. Each has his own fate, his own tragedy, but they are tied together with the same strong bonds as in childhood.
The novel became one of the brightest phenomena in world literature in recent years. In the title of his book, the writer recalls the Afghan boys’ traditional pastime—kite fighting. Defeating rivals and remaining alone, soaring in the boundless blue sky— that is true childhood happiness. You run after the kite and the wind as you run after your destiny, trying to catch it. But it will catch you.