In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

The Relationships We Live

Providing a humanized look at Afghanistan, "The Kite Runner" is a brilliant novel about the relationships we form in life and how they change from childhood to adult. It is the story of two boys, but primarily focused on the one from an affluent family and how he must forever live with the guilt of not standing up for his friend from the working class. The writing is premier, purely top level. I would not have thought that a book set in the Middle East would have held my attention so incredibly, but "The Kite Runner" turned out to be one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I would also recommend "Middlesex", "Reading Lolita in Tehran", "My Fractured Life", and "The Da Vinci Code."

Touching

One of the best books I have read this year. It's not just a story of a boy growing up in Afghanistan in a house of privilege. The story is told in retrospect by the boy after his family gains political asylum and comes to America. The twists and turns in the book, the ups and downs in their lives, and promise of secrets to be revealed keep it interesting and heartfelt. I actually cried several times, it is so well written that it seems real. I had to check several times that is was fiction and not an autobiography. The ending makes you hope for a sequel to his life. I have loaned my copy to several friends and all have loved it.

Does it get any better than this book? YES!

Try the AUDIO version of "The Kite Runner". I won't repeat the praise of other reviews (which I agree with), but I will say listening to the author read his story, with his natural Afghani accent was wonderful. It created a total immersion for me into this unforgettable story. Hearing character and geographical names, plus all the small Afgani phrases that he wove throughout the book, spoken by him created a sense of the far away, and really added to my enjoyment of this story. If you've already read it, I recommend listening to it, too!