Khaled Hosseini's tearjerker debut novel hits the silver screen with a dose of Hollywood splendor. The story follows Amir, whose boyhood betrayal of a friend in his native Afghanistan haunts him into his adulthood in America. In Amir's quest for redemption, he journeys back to his home country, which has become almost unrecognizable under the rule of religious fanatics. With Afghanistan's rocky modern history as its backdrop, The Kite Runner individualizes the war-torn country's recent struggles.