The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, 1st/1st, 2003

This is a near fine copy of Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner' in first edition, first impression, and with the band present. London, Bloomsbury, 2003. The band is in near fine condition, with a very light crease on the front, light pitting on the side and slight crumpling on the 'spine'. The dust jacket is in equally near fine condition, displaying light crumpling at the corners and edges, light tearing at the bottom right corner and a price clipped interior. The boards are generally free from chips and marks, but are lightly crumpled at the bottom edge. The text blocks are generally white and bright, but too resemble light marks and signs of aging. Overall this is a near fine copy with a highly collectible band. 
 
Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime.
 
Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite Runner to be a father-son relationship story, emphasizing the familial aspects of the narrative, an element that he continued to use in his later works. Themes of guilt and redemption feature prominently in the novel, with a pivotal scene depicting an act of sexual assault that happens against Hassan that Amir fails to prevent. The situation as a whole was the main reason why Amir and Hassan's friendship ended. The latter half of the book centers on Amir's attempts to atone for this transgression by rescuing Hassan's son two decades later.