The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini's debut novel and one of the best that I have read. The Kite Runner falls on the same league as Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. While Mistry's novel is set against the backdrop of India's emergency period, TKR revolves around pre-911 Afghanistan. This is a story centered around the protagonist's guilt about his life and the redemption that he seeks. The story is narrated in first person and one could visualize the characters as if they are part of our own life. The characters are etched superbly and the settings are described vividly, we could actually smell and feel the presence of the characters around us.

The story revolves around Amir, the friendship with his childhood chum Hassan, the relationship with his father and the bondage with his country. The story touches upon the ethnic divide between the Pashtun's and the Hazara's (two sects in Afghanistan), the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the Taliban regime.

The Kite Runner is a heart wrenching novel and will definitely leave an imprint on your life. It's highly recommended and a must read novel.