The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Set first in Afghanistan in the 1970s and then later on in the United States, it tells of a boy who grew up in Afghanistan, Khabul, how he and his father escaped from their home to the United States during the invasion of the Russians, and how he went back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to atone for the sin he had committed back in his childhood.

The importance of family, kinship and friendship. Betrayal, lies and salvation. Fiction, yes, but also draws upon Afghanistan's history and the hurt endured by the people, the drastic changes throughout the years, so that fiction and fact are intertwined. It was as if Khaled Hosseini picked out a boy from the streets of Afghanistan and told his story, so that part of this tale is grounded in reality. There are traditional practices illustrated, their daily life told. There are fights among children, bullies, kite-fighting tournaments and kite runners.

Unlike books where the main character(s) is/are heroes from young, Amir started out a coward. It is his cowardice that brought about his sin, by not doing something which he should have. Yet Amir is but only a boy whose desire is ultimately his father's love.

Marvellous book. Powerful and engaging.

Official Website of Khaled Hosseini.
Reviews from Amazon.com.