Rather than confront a taunting wise guy, Amir runs in the opposite direction. Searching for the suddenly missing Hassen, who’s run to locate the loser’s blue kite, Amir comes on Assef tormenting the ever-loyal pal. Hosseini’s impassioned tale of betrayal, guilt, redemption, and father-son alienation kicks in when, hoping to impress his father, Baba (Faran Tahir), Amir contrives to win a kite contest but runs afoul in the ugly aftermath. That’s when Amir isn’t bullied by equally well-heeled and brass-knuckled Assef (Amir Malaklou)-then the intimidated 12-year-old denies his close pal, as New Testament Peter does. When it’s run its for two-and-three-quarter-hours course, they’ll instantly stand and ovate, much as if it’s the winning kite in a heavy-weight tournament.įor those who don’t know the plot-there may be some who show up in audiences-let it be known that the rich and privileged Amir (Amir Arison) and servant and phenomenal kite-runner-slingshot-sharpshooter Hassan (Eric Sirakian) grow up as best friends. Now The Kite Runner has traveled to Manhattan for eager-beaver adorers to revel in it. In London, audiences have repeatedly turned out in the last few years for initial and revived productions. That’s a lotta novels, and from the overwhelmingly favorable response to them, it’s a safe bet there’ll be no end of ticket buyers for Matthew Spangler’s Kite Runner stage adaptation, no matter how well or not well he’s done it.

Photo: Joan MarcusĪfter a short while checking into The Kite Runner book sales, the best I could ascertain was that Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini had amassed 38 million books sold for at least two of his works. Eric Sirakian and Amir Arison in The Kite Runner.

The kite runner novel