Hosseini's ability to reach the core of experiences of love and loss places him in the company of such fine chroniclers of the new America as Chang-rae Lee. The Kite Runner is a first novel of unusual generosity, honesty and compassion (Independent)The shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini ... A rich and soul-searching narrative ... A sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled (Observer)A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story ... It is a novel of great hidden intricacy and wisdom, like a timeless Eastern tale. It speaks the most harrowing truth about the power of evil (Daily Telegraph)Unforgettable ... Extraordinary. It is so powerful that for a long time after everything I read seemed bland (Isabel Allende)

A beautiful new limited edition paperback of The Kite Runner, published as part of the Bloomsbury Modern Classics list

The first of the defeated kites whirled out of control. They fell from the sky like shooting stars with brilliant, rippling tails, showering the neighbourhood.

Amir and Hassan grow up together in Kabul. Amir in the beautiful house his father built, filled with marble, gold, tapestries and mosaics; Hassan in the modest mud hut in the servants' quarters.

The two are inseparable, and when twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament, his loyal friend promises to help him. But neither boy can predict what will happen to Hassan that afternoon - as the kites soar over the city - and how it will change their lives forever.