The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghan and member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Amir’s companion as a child was his servant Hassan, from the despised and impoverished Hazara caste. Their bond is torn by Amir’s choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy. Despite escaping from troubles in his motherland, Amir will have to return to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.
The comradeship between an affluent boy and the son of his father’s servant takes centre stage in the early stages of The Kite Runner, a novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. A beguiling story that explores the price of betrayal, the efforts to gain redemption for past wrongs, and the undeniable connection and power that exists between a father and his son, whether it be a son striving to earn the affection of a father, or the sacrifices and lies that they both have to live with throughout their lives.