For a 3- to 4-minute overview of The Kite Runner, listen now to the CramCast.
Published in 2003, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner received generally positive reviews. The hardback edition sold respectfully, if not spectacularly, and Hosseini received some recognition as a first-time novelist, winning the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award among other honors. Most critics considered The Kite Runner a powerful first novel, but little was expected from the trade paperback edition that was published a year later. However, following the trade paperback’s publication, booksellers’ and readers’ enthusiasm increased dramatically, turning The Kite Runner into a national sensation.
In 2004, friends began to pass the paperback edition of The Kite Runner to friends, family members, and reading groups; everyone seemed eager to share the story of Amir, Hassan, and Baba. The combination of hardback and paperback sales resulted in The Kite Runner being a top-50 bestseller for 2004, yet that was just the beginning. During the next four years, The Kite Runner would remain a top-10 bestseller each and every year. A variety of factors combined to create this interest and positive buzz: Readers were interested in Afghanistan, especially after the attacks of 9/11; colleges and universities began to make the novel required reading for incoming freshmen; and high school teachers began sharing the title with colleagues on list servs and during conferences. But what seemed to be the most important aspect of the novel’s growing popularity was the fact that Hosseini’s novel was a gripping read. The novel’s movie adaptation, which earned $15 million domestically in 2007-2008, also contributed to the continued success of The Kite Runner.
