The Kite Runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, who was born in Afghanistan but now resides in the United States. The story takes place in various parts of Afghanistan and also in the United States. The plot centers on two boys, Amir and Hassan, who are best friends despite their different religions and ethnicities. Eventually, the two become estranged when Amir betrays Hassan and does not intervene when he is being assaulted by a group of men for being Hazara.
Chapter one of the novel takes place in 1975, before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This event changed the political landscape of the country and led to decades of war. The novel touches on many different aspects of life and culture in Afghanistan, including ethnicity, class structure, poverty, friendship, guilt, redemption, and fatherhood.
The book has been adapted into a film, which was released in 2007. It stars actors Khalid Abdalla as Amir, Homayoun Ershadi as Ali (Amir’s father), Shaun Toub as Rahim Khan (Amir’s Hazara servant), and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada as Hassan. The film follows the storyline of the novel closely and also touches upon some of the same themes explored by the book.
The controversy around The Kite Runner is that it deals with subject matter that many people consider taboo – child abuse and sexual violence. This book has been banned in some countries due to its depiction of child abuse.
