Khaled Hosseini an Afghan-American writer published his first novel named The Kite Runner in 2003. It’s being considered as one of the most beloved and touching books of the modern age.
The book is greatly appreciated for the arcs of the story, development of the characters, the themes and the symbolism. Readers across the world found it very presentable and deliberate.
The book shows incredibly heartbreaking journey. It follows a mirror growing up in Afghanistan and then his life following what happens throughout his both personally and culturally and worldly what is happening throughout this time period. Afghanistan has very different culture than another country.
Amir is the main character of this book. He made extremely bad mistake in his childhood and it haunts him for the rest of his life. There are so many characters in this book.
All characters were so richly developed. They felt so real and tangible. It has some beautiful moments. The book shows the cultural of Afghanistan, a beautiful friendship, life time regret beautifully.
The book is draining, infuriating, agonizing, frustrating and excruciating book but it’s also hopeful, moving and heartwarming book. Basically, it’s a tragic story. Maximum readers can relate the story with themselves.
If you’ve read the novel and are looking for more books like The Kite Runner then we have few suggestions for you.
10 Books Like The Kite Runner
We recommend the following books if you are looking for the books which are similar to The Kite Runner:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harper Lee is the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird which was published in 1960. The story plot is similar to The Kite Runner. The book gives a strong social massage to readers. It’s a sensational classic story which is centered around on racism and the loss of innocence.
The story is about a family, a widowed father and a six years old girl named Scout, her brother Jeremy in Alabama. The father is a lawyer and he asked to defend a black man in a trial where he has been accused of raping a white woman.
Basically, the story is about the white family and their neighbor. It’s about how they navigate the moral questions raised by racial inequality. The story is focused on family dynamic mostly. It shows the culture of America of depression era.
The book shows how we treat one another as human beings especially when we have differences and how we treat one another when we have differences especially when it comes to ethnicity nicely.
The whole story is telling by Scout. The writing style and story plot of this book is so good. The book shows segregation, slavery and equality issues clearly. If you do like sensational classic one to read, then this is the best option for you.
2. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
And The Mountains Echoed is another master class by Khaled Hosseini published on May 21, 2013. This is 3nd novel by him, 1st one was The kite Runner. It is a great option if you’re looking for more books like The kite Runner. In this book you will find so many similar things like The kite Runner.
There was a man named Jalil who had three wives and nine children. He was a businessman, he had a cinema hall. Jalil had an affair with another woman and they both had a daughter. The girl’s name was Mariam.
Jalil lived in the city with his three wives and children. But Mariam and her mother were kept in a hut outside the city. Jalil used to come to see Maryam every Thursday. But her life changes when her mother committed suicide, thinking that Mariam had run away.
Later, Mariam’s father took her to his hometown. After being taken there, Jalil’s wives wants Maryam to marry a shoe maker named Rashid in Kabul.
After marriage, Rashid and Mariam had a good relationship, but their relationship deteriorated due to their inability to have children. By reading this book we can still find the current context of some countries.
We can understand how girls are neglected in those places and how the demands of others are imposed on them. If you like the previous book then this may be a good option for you. Where The Kite Runner is a Father-Son Story and The Mountains Echoed is a Mother-Daughter Story.
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger published in 1951. Although it was written for innovative adults, it is usually found to be of great interest to teenagers.
This novel is one of the best 100 novels of the twentieth century. This novel has been translated extensively. It is a great option if you’re looking for more books like The kite Runner.
The main character in this story is Holden Caulfield. Holden once stayed at the unspecified institute in California at the end of World War II. This story is basically about Holden’s turn to become The Catcher in the Rye. Why he wants to be and how he wants to be.
He was expelled from school for repeatedly failing exams. He then left the hostel and headed home due to a quarrel with his roommate. As he has been expelled from school, he didn’t want to face his parents. So, he will not stay at home and spend some days in the hotel.
While staying at this hotel he encountered several problems. Holden later met her younger sister and told her younger sister that he wanted to be The Catcher in the Rye. He tells his younger sister why he wants to be and how he has been inspired. Holden wants to do something for herself in the midst of her family friends and school problems. This is his story.
This novel is related to depression, complex issues of innocence, belonging, loss, connection, sex. In this book you will find so many similar things like The kite Runner.
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel by Khaled Hosseini published in 2007. It is a great option if you’re looking for more books like The kite Runner. In this book you will find a strong bonding which is similar like The kite Runner.
The story of this book begins in 1952. A 10-year-old boy named Abdullah and his three-year-old younger sister Pari. Their father is a poor farmer. After Abdullah’s mother died, Abdullah took care of his younger sister Pari.
Abdullah used to bring feathers from different places for his sister. Even Abdullah sold his own shoes to buy a peacock feather. Two siblings connected by strong bond. But their good days do not last long.
One day their father decided to sell Pari to a rich family in Kabul. After Pari leaves for that family, Abdullah sometimes thinks a lot about her and he wants to see her. Later, when Abdullah’s father wanted to take him to the family, he gave him a condition that Abdullah should go there he can’t cry.
Before going there, Abdullah takes the feathers in a box to give to Pari. After going there, Abdullah was told that what had happened was for the good of Pari.
In this book, the author explains the bond of love between a brother and sister. Explained how people can do because of the financial crisis. And no matter how many years pass, the bond of love between people remains intact.
5. All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr
All the light we cannot see is written by an American author Anthony Doerr. It was published in 2014. It’s a war fiction novel. The theme of the book is similar to The kite Runner. The story is about during World War II.
Basically, it has two main characters their names are Verner a young German and Mellie Laura who is a blink girl living in Paris with her father. The story follows both of them very equally. Verner is an orphan living with his sister. His life is going to be working in the coal mines unless something dramatic happens.
He is pretty intelligent person. Verner and Mellie both are different person but they affected by a lot of the same things. There are certain situations and events happen that tie them together without knowing each other. They face so many problems and figure out them how to survive.
The story shows their survival story during World War II in a nice way. It’s a different write up. If you are looking for different type of historical fiction and similar story platform like the Kite Runner, you can read this one.
6. Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Sea Prayer is an illustrated novel. It is also written by Khaled Hosseini. It’s being published as a book on September 18, 2018. The story was inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis and also the death of Alan Kurdi. It is a great option if you’re looking for more books like The kite Runner. In this book you will find so many similar things like The kite Runner.
This book is basically a graphic novel. How a populous area turned into a battlefield in a very short time. As a result, the people living there have to migrate otherwise. This book tells the story of a father and son crossing a dangerous sea in such a situation.
The author has originally tried to compose here in the form of a letter to his son from a father’s point of view. The author wants to explain how the main character of this book like millions of families like father and son are being tortured and displaced due to war and there are very few people to help or protect them.
Although the type of this book is a little different from his other books, it still matches the main story line as in the previous book. Here we can find a father-son relationship, a father’s love for his son. But in spite of so much love, he can’t do anything more than that.
There is the cruel irony of war; there is the horrible form of war. Although we do not have the ability to understand with our own eyes, at least we can understand a little by reading this book.
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief is a historical novel by Australian author Markus Zusak published in 2005. This book was adapted into a film in 2013 by the same name. It was translated into 63 languages. It is a great option if you’re looking for more books like The kite Runner.
The story is basically after the Second World War. The main character of the story is Liesel Meminger. Liesel live with her adoptive parent’s home, after her younger brother was killed in a train accident. There she faces the horrors of Nazi rule.
Nancy slowly learns to read books, understand the story and ability to write more. The books that the Nazis were about to destroy slowly she began to stealing books and building her own libraries. She started to write her own story.
In this book you will find so many similar things like The kite Runner. You will experience loss, depression, complex issues of innocence, war related environment. You will start to like it so easily after you start reading it.
8. The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili
The Eighth Life is written by Nino Haratischwili. It was published in 2014. The book will introduce you with different culture which is similar to The kite Runner.
The story is about a family and it’s narrated in the beginning by Starsia. Her family has a chocolate making business and a recipe for a particular drinking chocolate which appears to have almost magical qualities. They seem to think that this is going to help them through a long and prosperous life. But actually, it doesn’t.
The book spends about six generations and a number of countries. It’s hugely epic and scale multi-generational and it traverses a lot of history around Georgia and Russia at that time. There’s the cold war, Stalin era, perestroika, Iron curtain all sorts of things. Basically, the book shows the story of a family, their living style and different culture nicely.
If you are interested to read historical type book, then this is the best option for you. In this book you will find historical staffs, many information about different culture, family bonding stuffs. Hope you will like this book. And this book is similar to The kite Runner.
9. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood is written by Legendary Japanese author Haruki Murakami. It was published in 1987. The book is very emotional and evocative and very much similar to The kite Runner.
The story is about Toru Watanabe. It takes place mostly as a kind of flashback from him when his late thirties to him being nineteen in the sixties. He had a childhood friend like the only person that he ever really felt like he understood him. His name was Kazuki who killed himself on his 17th birthday with no explanation.
This starts when Toru is going to university in Tokyo and still really bearing that grief. He gets to know that the girlfriend of his best friend is also struggling and both of the grief and with other mental issues. Then he meets another girl called Midori. It’s like all of them shouldering grief but it’s kind of a love story with mostly seems love triangle.
Basically, the book shows grief and brokenness. So, the book is very nostalgia heavy and it has a lot of like things that are very sixties. Music is the central themes of this book. If you are looking for something different type of book, then you can go for it.
10. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Memoirs of a Geisha is written by an American author Arthur Golden in 1997. The book is wonderful example of a historical fiction. The book is similar to The kite Runner. The book shows very twisted romantic subplot. The writing is very charming. The story is gorgeously contrasting with the horrible narrative.
Basically, the story is about an impoverished girl. After her mother’s death her elderly father sells her and her sister into prostitution. The story is about their survival story. Chiyo is the protagonist of this story. She has very striking and unique eye color. She gets the opportunity to become a Geisha.
The book through her eyes explores the culture that surrounds the Geisha and what that means to be a Geisha and what the ramifications. The book also shows the way they treated to prostitutes and their life style.
It is really a fascinating story. The book shows accurately portraying sort of the infighting, cattiness and the passive aggressive, the behavior, different culture nicely. If you are looking for an interesting historical fiction then you can read it.
Thank you very much for your valuable time. Hope you got answers of your quarries. Have any recommendations that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments and stay connected!