Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 1

Discuss the relationship between Amir and Sohrab at the close of the novel. What motivates Amir to take Sohrab in and to treat him the way he does? Talk about the framing of the novel - it begins with Rahim Kahn telling Amir, "There is a way to be good again" and ends with Amir showing Sohrab how to run a kite. Does this ending resolve the story?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 2

Amir and Hassan are drawn to heroic stories, stories heavy in myth and symbolism. What is appealing about these stories? How do the different lessons that the boys draw from these stories serve to define their personalities?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 3

Amir's mother died in childbirth; Hassan's mother ran away to join a clan of singers and dancers when Hassan was an infant. Comment on the lack of female characters in this book. How does this serve to advance the plot?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 4

Physical pain plays a strong role throughout the story - the glass string of the kites that cut the hands; the scar that Amir is left with on his upper lip, reminiscent of Hassan's harelip scar; the scar on Soraya's jaw; and the scars on Sohrab's wrists. Why does the author focus on the physical symbols of emotional pain? How do all of these scars relate to the pivotal scene in which Hassan is attacked?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 5

Early on in the story, Amir says that Hassan will do anything Amir asks of him. Amir tests Hassan's loyalty by asking him to do mischievous and sometimes harmful things. Compare and contrast the nature of friendship in the novel with the relationship between servant and master.

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 6

Amir recounts that the first word he spoke as a child was "Baba" and the first word Hassan spoke was "Amir." How does this information set the scene for the relationships that are developed in the rest of the novel?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 7

How does the author's descriptive language change as Amir makes the transition into adulthood and moves to the United States?

Book Club: The Kite Runner Question 8

Can you imagine Amir's story of growing up set in the United States? What details of culture would have to change?