The Kite Runner Short Summary

The Kite Runner is a book by Khaled Hosseini. It narrates the story of Amir and his father, baba, in the town of Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir and his dad are members of a major ethnic group in the country, the Pashtuns. Hassan and his father also live with Amir’s family but are Hazaras. This is a minority tribe in Afghanistan. However, Hassan and Amir are good friends.

One day during a kite-flying competition, Amir emerged victoriously. Hassan suddenly runs for the kite but gets ambushed and raped by the neighborhood bully, Assef. However, Amir is unable to rescue him due to his lack of courage.

Filled with guilt and aware of his mistake, Amir decides to frame Hassan for theft. Hassan and his father then leave Kabul. A couple of years later, Amir and baba are also compelled to flee Afghanistan after the Russian invasion secretly.

Amir and Baba escape to America and settle there. Amir then pursues his major in English and, and together with his father, they spend weekends selling items at the local market. It is here that Amir meets and marries Soraya. However, baba dies shortly after and the couple is not able to sire children.

Shortly after, Amir is contacted by his father’s friend Rahim Hassan from Afghanistan. He is informed that Hassan and his wife lived in his old has and bore a son named Sohrab. However, Hassan and his wife got killed by the Taliban. Sohrab now lives in an orphanage. He also discovers Hassan is his half-brother.

Amir and his wife decide to go to Afghanistan in search of Sohrab. Afghanistan has changed under the Taliban, but with some effort, he manages to meet Assef, who is now Sohrab’s master. Assef and Amir fight and shrub saves Amir through a slingshot.

Shoran and Amir go to Pakistan. However, Amir can only adopt him by first sending him back to an orphanage. He finally manages to bring Sohrab to the US whereby together with his wife, they can now adopt him.