Winter, 1975: Afghanistan — a country hidden in the corner of Asia, ruled over by a fading monarchy on the verge of an internal coup. But in Kabul, twelve-year-old Amir has his own concerns. He is desperate to win the annual kite-fighting tournament to prove to his father that he has the makings of a man. Amir’s friend Hassan is a low-caste Muslim and the son of a crippled servant but nevertheless the two boys play together and defend each other against the neighbourhood’s bullies. However, during the tournament, Amir takes advantage of Hassan’s guileless devotion and commits a terrible act of betrayal which is to shatter their lives and define their future.
Amir finds that he can never escape the far-reaching consequences of his actions. Unfolding against Afghanistan’s destructive history, from the fall of the monarchy to the terrifying oppression of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the breathtaking story of fathers and sons, friendship and redemption, and, most horrifyingly, the casualties of fate.