The essays in this volume look afresh at this remarkable work, considering its critical reception, its style, structure and themes, its mythical, moral, historical and political dimensions, its continued relevance in the twenty-first century, and its adaptations as a film, stage play, and graphic novel.

About this volume -- Discovering The kite runner -- Biography of Khaled Hosseini / -- From "The Great Game" to 9/11 : the historical context of The kite runner / -- Catching The kite runner : a survey of critical responses -- A tale with two centers : narrative structure in The kite runner -- Kite and scarf : The kite runner and Mohja Kahf's The girl in the tangerine scarf -- "Ask him where his shame is" : war and sexual violence in The kite runner -- Hidden in plain sight : caste and sexuality in Khaled Hosseini's The kite runner -- The kite runner two decades later : three things every reader should know -- "I always felt like Baba hated me a little" : fathers and sons in The kite runner -- "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive" : perception, sensation, and cognition in The kite runner -- "Avoid them like the plague" : clichés, style, and situations in The kite runner -- The kite runner on film : a survey of responses -- Staging The kite runner -- The kite runner : the graphic novel -- Reconfiguring The kite runner -- Chronology of Khaled Hosseini's life -- Works by Khaled Hosseini.