Throughout the novel, Amir acknowledges the irony present in his life associated with timing of events. Most significantly, he fails to prevent Hassan's rape. Decades later, he rescues Hassan's son from the Taliban, who has been sexually abused by the same person who had raped Hassan (Assef). Hassan's sexual abuse was a sacrificed that allowed Amir to win the kite, which he believed was crucial to making Baba proud of him. The irony lies in the fact that Amir allows Hassan to be raped in order to impress his father before later discovering that Hassan is in fact his half brother.

A particularly memorable quote in the novel which highlights Amir's redemption is said by him when he takes Sohrab to fly a kite, after providing a home for the boy in America. Amir repeats Hassan's famous words, "for you, a thousand times over." The quote had originally been said in a context that emphasizes Hassan's selfless nature and love for Amir. Decades later, the quote is still deeply meaningful to Amir and indicates the endurance of Hassan's legacy across time.

Towards the beginning of the novel, Amir is a timid adolescent boy who witnesses his best friend, Hassan, get raped by Assef and does not intervene. After witnessing the incident, Amir is filled with an enormous sense of guilt. Amir attempts to hide from Hassan and becomes distant. He eventually succeeds in making Hassan leave his home and Amir moves to America with his father. As time passes, Amir represses his feelings of guilt. In America, Amir matures into a successful writer who lives a comfortable life in California. However, Amir's guilty conscience continually reminds him of his past. When Rahim Khan calls Amir, he tells Amir that there is a way to be good again. Amir then travels to Pakistan where Rahim tells him about Hassan's son, Sohrab. Upon hearing Sohrab's story, Amir realizes that he has a chance to redeem himself. He ends up traveling back to Kabul and saves Sohrab from a life of abuse. Twenty-five years since Amir refused to intervene while his friend was being raped, he finally redeems himself by saving Sohrab. Hosseini suggests that opportunities will arise when least expected and it is never too late to redeem yourself. Although it took Amir a quarter of a century to redeem himself, he finally atones for his past sins by rescuing Sohrab from Assef.