Summary

Amir, an Afghani man living in America, receives a call from an old family friend in Pakistan, sparking memories that Amir has left far in the past. He recalls his childhood in Kabul, and his friend Hassan. Hassan is Amir’s servant, but also his best friend. They cause mischief, fly kites, read together, but things change when Amir witnesses Hassan's rape. He does not step in, does not confront the boys who committed the crime, does not attempt to comfort Hassan, and ends up forcing Hassan out of his home in order to push aside his guilt. This guilt lives with him and grows in him for years, even after he flees Afghanistan and moves to America. As an adult, he returns to Afghanistan and, at the request of this old friend, retrieves Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from an orphanage, bringing him back to the United States.

Beneath the narrative of one man's personal story, The Kite Runner covers a variety of themes and topics, most notably those of religion, politics, sin, redemption, friendship, and the relationship between father and son. Amir's story somehow manages to encompass all of these while providing an engaging and moving story that is as educational as it is intriguing.