Amir grows up in an affluent Kabul neighbourhood in the 1970s, the son of a charismatic businessman he calls Baba. His constant companion is Hassan, the son of the family's servant and a member of the persecuted Hazara minority. Hassan is fiercely loyal, and the two boys excel together at kite fighting, a beloved Afghan winter pastime.
On the day of a great kite tournament, Amir witnesses an act of cruelty against Hassan and fails to intervene, a choice that poisons their friendship. When the Soviet invasion forces Amir and Baba to flee to Fremont, California, Amir builds a new life as a writer, but the past is unfinished. Years later a phone call from an old family friend draws him back to a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Hosseini's debut novel became a global bestseller, valued for its portrait of Afghan life before decades of war and for its emotional story of guilt and redemption. It touches on ethnic discrimination, father-son relationships and the immigrant experience. It was adapted into a film in 2007 and is widely read in book clubs and schools.
Book details
| Author | Khaled Hosseini |
|---|---|
| First published | 2003 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 371 |
| Setting | Kabul, Afghanistan, and Fremont, California, 1970s to 2001 |
Themes
- Guilt and redemption
- Friendship
- Fathers and sons
- Ethnic discrimination
- Exile
Who should read it
Readers who want an emotional, page-turning story set against Afghanistan's recent history.