The Kite RunnerThe Kite Runner
What it's about
Amir is the privileged son of a wealthy man in 1970s Kabul, and his closest companion is Hassan, the son of his father's servant. In the winter of 1975, Amir wins a kite-fighting tournament, and Hassan runs to catch the last kite for him. What happens to Hassan that day, and what Amir does and fails to do, haunts him for decades, through the Soviet invasion, his family's flight to America, and his eventual return to a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the best-selling novels of the century, about 31.5 million copies. It's a story of friendship, betrayal and redemption that brought Afghanistan's history to millions of readers.
You'll love it if you liked
A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Covenant of Water or Half of a Yellow Sun
Good to know
It includes the rape of a child and other violence. It's emotionally intense.
By the numbers
- Readers93 out of 100 · counts 40%+42
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+23
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
One of the best-selling books ever (about 31.5 million copies). 4.36★ from 3.6M Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #39 of the 251 historical novels we rank
- #73 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #172 of the 1,404 books we rank
Bestseller
- One of the best-selling books ever (about 31.5 million copies)
Reads as
Moving
More by Khaled Hosseini
If you like this, read next
All the Pretty Horses
Middlesex
The Poisonwood Bible
The Blind Assassin
American Pastoral
The God of Small Things