Hosseini’sstunningdebutnovelstartsasaneloquentAfghanversionoftheAmericanimmigrantexperienceinthelate20thcentury,butbetrayalandredemptioncometotheforefrontwhenthenarrator,awriter,returnstohisravagedhomelandtorescuethesonofhischildhoodfriendaftertheboy’sparentsareshotduringtheTalibantakeoverinthemid’90s.Amir,thesonofawell-to-doKabulmerchant,isthefirst-personnarrator,whomarries,movestoCaliforniaandbecomesasuccessfulnovelist.Butheremainshauntedbyachildhoodincidentinwhichhebetrayedthetrustofhisbestfriend,aHazaraboynamedHassan,whoreceivesabrutalbeatingfromsomelocalbullies.AfterestablishinghimselfinAmerica,AmirlearnsthattheTalibanhavemurderedHassanandhiswife,raisingquestionsaboutthefateofhisson,Sohrab.Spurredonbychildhoodguilt,AmirmakesthedifficultjourneytoKabul,onlytolearntheboyhasbeenenslavedbyaformerchildhoodbullywhohasbecomeaprominentTalibanofficial.ThepriceAmirmustpaytorecovertheboyisjustoneofseveralbrilliant,startlingplottwiststhatmakethisbookmemorablebothasapoliticalchronicleandadeeplypersonaltaleabouthowchildhoodchoicesaffectouradultlives.Thecharacterstudiesalonewouldmakethisanoteworthydebut,fromtheportraitofthesensitive,insecureAmirtothemultilayereddevelopmentofhisfather,Baba,whosesacrificesandscandalousbehaviorarefullyrevealedonlywhenAmirreturnstoAfghanistanandlearnsthetruenatureofhisrelationshiptoHassan.Addanincisive,perceptiveexaminationofrecentAfghanhistoryanditsramificationsinbothAmericaandtheMiddleEast,andtheresultisacompleteworkofliteraturethatsucceedsinexploringthecultureofapreviouslyobscurenationthathasbecomeapivotpointintheglobalpoliticsofthenewmillennium.
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