Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

Amir and Hassan were robbed of their mothers shortly after they were born--- one to childbirth and the other to a band of gypsies. One woman nursed them both, and it was believed that if two nurse from the same breast, a bond as thick as blood forms between them. Though they grew up like brothers, Amir is the son of one of the wealthiest men in Kabul while Hassan is of inferior ancestry and his birth right dictated that he will always be servant to Amir. In the winter of 1975, this bond is tested; they learn the meaning of loyalty and sacrifice, and the difference between courage and cowardice.

Amir flees a war-torn Afghanistan with his father Baba, taking with him to America a secret from which he hopes to find peace. But life exacts its toll in cruel ways and redemption is elusive. Amir battles his demons across 2 continents, ending on the soil where the war was waged. He pays the ransom for his transgression as a grown man when he returns to Kabul many years later to confront the ghosts of his past.

The Kite Runner is a sad story about love, loyalty and salvation. Though inevitably nuanced by the Islamic faith, the characters are easy to relate with because conscience, as sin, is universal. It is beautifully written and emotionally charged, with splashes of Afghan color masterfully woven in.