And the Mountains Echoed

If you intend to read Khaled Hosseini's third novel And the Mountains Echoed and you're expecting something along the lines of his first two blockbusters (The Kite Runners and A Thousand Splendid Suns), you won't get exactly what you're looking for, but I promise it's going to hook you from page one. First off, Hosseini has a style of writing that can be described as nothing short of poetic. He's a master storyteller, and the first chapter was so beautifully written that I knew it would be a matter of days before I'd end up turning the last page and heaving a sigh of regret at having it end so soon. And the Mountains Echoed opens in a tiny village in Afghanistan in the mid 1950s, where a young father is telling a local fairy tale to his two young children. The next day, their lives change irrevocably when they depart for Kabul, starting off a series of events that takes the reader on a journey across the world and spanning several generations of families. "So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one. But just the one. Don't either of you ask me for more." But this isn't just one story. It's a collection of nine interconnected stories, all of which have been woven together along parallel themes of family, dependance, loyalty, betrayal, and abandonment. Each story introduces the reader to new members of this first young Afghan family, and to the people whose lives they intermingle with. All in all, a terrific read, and one that I happily recommend. Throughout these stories, we feel sadness and sorrow for these characters, but we also feel compassion, joy and happiness at seeing everything come full circle. Hosseini shows us time and time again with his writing that Afghanistan isn't a country to be reviled or feared, no matter what the media would have us think. America and Afghanistan may be interlocked in their present day stories of war, but we share a common bond in the feelings of guilt and gratitude that come with being dependent on the people that we care about most in the world. These are feelings that we all share and understand. As with his first two novels, Hosseini does a terrific job of humanizing his beloved homeland of Afghanistan. It's hard not to see this country with different eyes once you've read one of his books.

And the Mountains Echoed: A Novel Having read Khaled Hosseini's previous two novels: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I found real page turners and very dramatic, I decided to read his latest novel. This novel was very different in style but also illustrated Hosseini's remarkable talent for writing interesting novels. This novel was slower moving with myriads of characters interconnecting with each other. They were either relatives, friends or neighbors spreading over two generations or even three in some cases. The novel begins with a folk tale about a div, a giant in Afghan folklore, who steals the youngest son of an impoverished family in a poverty stricken village. When the father sets out to find his son, the div shows him that the child is living happily in a palace, playing with other children. The father then has to decide whether to turn back and leave his son where he is or take him back to a difficult life in the village. This story is told to Abdullah and Pari, a day before they take a long and difficult journey from their village to Kabul, where the father leaves Pari, the sister of Abdullah, with a rich childless couple as it was difficult for the father to support both children. Abdullah was devastated by this for a long time as he and his sister were very close. The separation of the two siblings forms the basis of this incredible novel which at times seems rather long-winded as it is composed of a number of short stories, told from a number of different angles by the various characters in the book. The actual story begins in 1952 and meanders along with the various players relating their own experiences and their connections with the various characters in the book. Hosseini's medical knowledge in describing the illnesses and handicaps of some of the characters makes the novel even more realistic. The writer is a qualified physician and this blends very well in adding a lot of realism to the novel itself. The characters actually flip out of the pages making the reader empathize with their misfortunes, desires and the brilliance of this writer's portrayal of them makes the book really hard to lay aside. I would recommend that the reader not put the book aside but read it from beginning to end in as short a time as possible. If this is not possible the reader can lose the thread as there are so many characters involved who have much to say from their perspective that one can get confused. This is the reason why I feel that this novel is short of a 5-star rating. Despite this all the loose ends seem to tie up towards the end as the families had spread out over a number of countries. I found the book very readable even though I would have preferred less characters and more emphasis on the main players that make up the story.

There are many kinds of poverty, financial poverty and mental/emotional poverty the most obvious herein. What people do and become to surmount these formidable obstacles is the essence of Hosseini's latest novel. It is in the early 1950s in an Afghan town called Shadbagh. Abdullah and Pari are the children of Saboor who begins this story by telling them the story of a young boy who is stolen by a djin. Little does the boy Abdullah, who loves his father's tales, realize that his sister Pari will be sold within the week to his step-Uncle Nabi's employers, Mr. Wahdati and his wife Nila. Nila is a central focus for most of this story as she is a famous poet but intensely unhappy woman. After her husband has a stroke, she will leave him to live in Paris with Pari. At this point, one wonders how Abdullah and Pari will ever find each other, given their phenomenal closeness before their separation. After they leave, Nabi takes care of Mr. Wahdati, even after he discovers a secret that almost made him leave. We then hear of another sibling story between Parwana (stepmother to Abdullah and Pari; their father's second wife) and her sister Masooma who had a horrific accident and makes a decision that Parwana must carry out, one that frees both sisters from a life of being burdened by each other. This aspect cuts to the soul of the reader, requiring a courage and sense of self that is true albeit more poignant than words can express. Then we hear the story of a young boy whose father is narco wealthy, who makes his money from selling the poppy flower and who has bought the land in Shadbagh on which Abdullah and Pari grew up. A family member inherited the property but was cheated out of it by the wealthy but generous man. The bond between Nila and Pari is explored next. Pari truly understands her mother but it doesn't make it any easier, especially as Pari always has this feeling like something is "missing." The story of Markos' friendship with a young girl is heartrending but beautiful as well. The young girl has been permanently disfigured by a dog bite; and though totally revolted initially, Markos and Thalia grow as close as siblings and remain so their entire lives, especially in their connection to other characters in this fictional tapestry. A reunion will end this novel, one that will initiate a freedom for the daughter of Abdullah, who wound up in America running an Afghan barbecue restaurant but is now old and ailing and his sister Pari. So much can be said about this story of real and evolving sibling relationships. Though not quite as violent as Hosseini's previous two novels, there are fierce moments but more of a sense of honesty, integrity and endurance that truly evolves into bonds of connection equal to and greater than siblings. No, I haven't by any means given away the whole story; there is so much more in these pages that is compelling, intriguing, brutal, funny, tender and just sheer beautiful. Khaled Hosseini is a literate fine, fine writer and this book is his best yet!!!! This reviewer hated it to end and is hoping Hosseini will keep writing which he does so magnificently!!!! This novel deserves multiple awards for its greatness! Enjoy every line, every page!

At the beginning of the book, we are in Afghanistan. Saboor is telling his children, Pari and Abdullah, a heart rending fable about a father who, when forced to sacrifice his child, becomes obsessed with finding that child. When he succeeds, he discovers the child is happy and thriving in an environment in which he can grow, prosper and have a promising future. What is a father to do? Does he take the child back and condemn it to a life of poverty and ignorance or does he leave the child behind because of the great opportunity that has been offered, in spite of the enormity of the loss he will face. This theme of abandonment and sacrifice continues throughout the story and the reader may well ask the question, when is it right to expect sacrifice and when is it right to actually be the one who has to make the sacrifice? When is it selfish and self-serving and when is it altruistic? The recurrent theme, in each generation, of filial responsibility, echoed the one before it. The morning after the telling of the fable, Abdullah watches his father take his sister Pari to Kabul. He follows them, and although he is repeatedly told to return, he refuses and is eventually allowed to go with them. He and his sister are very close. Since the death of his mother in childbirth, Abdullah has been like a parent to her, even though he was just 7 when she was born, She is now 3 ½, and he is 10. Once they are in Kabul, Abdullah discovers the real reason they have gone to Kabul, and the fable becomes more ominous to him. He is filled with sadness at his approaching loss. Abdullah’s stepmother is Parwana. Once she had a twin sister, Masooma. Masooma was much better looking and better loved. People were drawn to her. Parwana and Masooma were both infatuated with Saboor. While Parwana loved Saboor from afar, Masooma and Saboor, were growing closer. After a tragic accident, instigated by Parwana, Masooma becomes an invalid and Parwena, filled with guilt, devotes her life to her. When Saboor marries another, and is later widowed, he needs a wife and her Masooma tells Parwana to abandon her and marry him. She is entitled to a life. Parwana’s brother Nabi works in Kabul for Mr. Wahdati. He abandoned his sister in their small village, but sends money to help out. He felt entitled to his life. He knows that his brother-in-law, Saboor, is destitute and he brings him to Kabul to do construction work for Mr. Wahdati, but he had an ulterior motive. Nabi is in love with Nila, who is his Mr. Wahdati’s wife. It is this love, only from a distance, that causes him to suggest that Nila adopt Pari. Nila is often unhappy, bored and lonely. She is unable to bear children. With this transaction, the children are separated from each other and Pari is separated from her father. Her opportunity for a better life is considerable. However, she is so young, her childhood memories are too weak and her own family will pass from her mind. Abdullah never forgets her. When he is older, he marries and moves to America. He has a child, later in life, and he names her Pari, after his much beloved sister. He often regales her with stories of his sister. Pari often pretends she has a twin, her missing aunt. When her mother grows ill, Pari cares for her and gives up her own opportunity to study art in college. When her father becomes ill, she again abandons her life and gives up her boyfriend to be caregiver to her dad. She has given up a good deal of her dreams and her life for her family. She does not feel entitled to a life or is afraid to venture out. She has been sheltered. Marcos Varvaris is a plastic surgeon from Greece. His father died when he was very young and his mother, a strong woman, raised him on her own. Her close friend, Madeleine, is a “woman of the world”. She comes to visit them with her daughter, Thalia, whose face is severely disfigured. After his initial discomfort with her appearance, they become great friends. When her mother abandons her, she continues to live with Marcos. When he is an adult, he becomes a plastic surgeon and devotes himself to the injured Afghani children. Thalia devotes herself to Marcos’ mother, as she had devoted herself to Thalia, when she was young. She believes that with her disfigurement, she is not entitled to a normal life. When Marcos goes to work in Afghanistan, he rents a house from Nabi. They become good friends. He does not charge him rent since he is helping his countrymen. The friendship between Marcos and Nabi is the link to Pari’s past. When Nabi dies, he leaves the house he inherited from Mr. Wahdati to Pari, if she can be found. It provides a letter to Marcos asking him to find her and give her his letter, which is a confession and apology. Idris and Timur are the children of Iqbal, the half brother of Abdullah and Pari. Once, they lived near Mr. Wahdati, so they also knew Nabi. Timur arranges for plastic surgery on a severely injured child, Roshana. Idris said he would, but he never followed through. Roshi (Roshana), is adopted by the nurse, Amra, who was devoted to her and lobbied for her surgery. In later life, she becomes a writer, and she writes about her experience. Life in Afghanistan is hard. War continues, medical care is virtually non-existent and poverty is rampant, as is corruption and petty rivalries. Each character exhibits a different aspect of life in Afghanistan and elsewhere. There are recurrent themes of loyalty, devotion, responsibility, sacrifice, guilt and remorse. People struggle to exist, sometimes honestly and sometimes not. The atmosphere of the constant hostilities, the poverty and illiteracy of the people, not in the privileged class, is exposed. The author has really shown the effect of all the invasions and the power plays that have taken place. The cycle never changes. He describes a society in which those who are poor remain poor, remain ignorant, remain pawns in the turf battles around them. Going to America was the salvation for some because they prospered, while war made others rich in the Middle East. The tumultuous, never-ending years of confrontation take a tremendous toll. Humans are subject to the frailties of mind and body, but in the end, everyone grows old and needy. When memories fade, they become superficial and meaningless to some, but they stay alive in the minds of others. Even the town that Pari and Abdullah were born in, changes in the end. It actually disappears, as we do, when we shuffle off this mortal coil. A corrupt soldier knocks down all the dwellings that were on the land to build a monument to himself, a mansion in fact. His son, Adel, discovers his lifestyle is not what he thought it was; he discovers that his father is not a kind benefactor and not the hero he believed he was, but he eventually accepts that, and his life, for the rewards it will bring and the inevitability of his current existence. It was his father, after all, and he will most likely follow in his footsteps. The story is a study in contradictions and dichotomies. It depicts a clash of cultures, West vs. East. It is a study in contrasts: lies and truths, secrets and confessions, rich and poor, faithful and faithless, honest and dishonest, selfish and unselfish, beauty and ugliness, lush green pastures and dried up gardens, decayed buildings and newly designed residences, morality and immorality, pain and pleasure, but most of all the effect of war and peace on different cultures, advanced and backward. The story is confusing. I realized how confusing when I tried to organize my thoughts. It is told from the point of view of several characters, and the time and place often jumbled up in my mind. Also, since there were similarities in their lives and sometimes subtle connections to be made, it tended to make some parts repetitious. It felt like there were just too many side stories to keep track of, and the task became tedious as characters appeared disappeared and reappeared long after I could remember their purpose.

Isabel Allende said of Khaleid Hosseini after reading “The Kite Runner” - “This is one of those unforgettable stories that stay with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel: love, honor, guilt, fear redemption.... It is so powerful that for a long time everything I read after seemed bland." And the Mountains Echoed once again affirms that Khaled Hosseini is a master at his storytelling craft. He begins and ends the books with one simple story of love & commitment between siblings (a girl and a boy), but weaves in other stories that affected this love, characters as they grow from childhood into adulthood. The story takes us from the rural to the urban areas of Afghanistan, San Francisco and the Greek Islands of Tinos. He craftily uses oral tradition to draw parallels between the story and an old Afghan traditional tale – where in old tales, even the DIV’s are good, kind, well-meaning characters. In the “real life” tale, the story bruises and injures, but ultimately the simple message of love finds its way back into the narration. When the little girl Pari is lost to the simple rural Afghanistan family we hungrily look for consolation and atonement in the story and finds “I took solace only in hope. Hope that perhaps, wherever she is now, she has found as much peace, grace, love and happiness as this world allows” . It resonates with us all as we love and loose our loved ones to another “life” or death even. I read the book, hoping that with each page there would be the reconciliation of the siblings, to right a wrong – or hoping that there would be absolution for the acts of the adults in separating the siblings - in itself as the fable suggests earlier on in the book, that the “lost child” in the fable had gone to a happier place having no memory at all of his family – and the Div gives the father a choice, to either take the child back with him or leave the child in his “happy place” and return to the rest of his family. As a good loving father, he chooses what he believes is best for the child. Khaled’s story is more realistic, reflecting the painful human stories that unfolded in Afghanistan and its effects on all. In the end, I could not clearly judge the actions of the father and the adults involved in the separation of the siblings Pari and Abdullah. “One thing I have come to see is that one is well served by a degree of both humility and charity when judging the inner workings of another person’s heart.” The inclusion of the vivid characters such as Timur and Idris is welcoming, illustrating the divide of those returning from exhale, and those who were remained behind to experience the harshness of the war, the poverty and the suffering. The two chracters clearly illustrates the ramifications of the Afghan diaspora, however, I am disappointed that we did not read more of the people in Afghanistan who remained behind, e.g. the ordinary people Iqbal’s son. The characters who remained behind and benefited through corruption exploiting the ordinary people is clearly illustrated. I hope we read more about the character Adel the son of Commander Sahib, Iqbal’s son and Pari the daughter of Abdullah in a next book.

Brief summary and review, no spoilers. This book covers many generations and different families as we go back and forth in time. The story starts off in Afghanistan in 1952, and 3 year old Pari and her 6 year old brother Abdullah are walking with their father to Kabul - ostensibly for him to get work in construction. We learn that the siblings mother had died when she gave birth to Pari and that they are extremely close; in fact Abdullah has pretty much been the one to take care of Pari. Once in Kabul, the children and their father are driven by their Uncle Nabi (the sister of their stepmother Parwana) to the home of the wealthy Wahdati family. The couple have no children and the beautiful and very modern and elegant wife seems oddly mismatched to the stern and detached husband. From there on, the story continues across time and continents as we follow the lives of these people and learn about others who become involved in the story and in their lives. We go to Paris and the Greek Isle of Tinos and eventually to San Francisco. We learn the sometimes heartbreaking stories of those affected by war and poverty and disease and about those who work to make things better. We learn about differences in culture and lifestyles and about lives that are not fully lived because of restrictions placed on them. The title really does perfectly describe the scope and feel of this book - the echoing of the lives of these two children off of others and onto whole different sets of lives. I was a fan of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns When I first started this book I thought it was going to be my favorite of the three, but I found that the pace slowed down a little bit as the book continued. At no time however was it not interesting nor did my attention waiver. I also found myself tearing up at the end and this doesn't happen to me very often. One of the things I enjoyed about the book is that things are not always predictable and that the author doesn't need to have perfect or happy endings - they are more realistic and complicated. I read this book for book club tonight and I am looking forward to a good discussion. Recommended for book clubs and for those of you who enjoyed this author's previous novels.

The story begins with a tale or myth of sacrifice that parents might recount to their children as some type of bedtime story. In this opening chapter, the father in the story tells his young son and daughter this myth as he walks across a vast desert--the young son only along on the journey because he wants to help push his much-beloved younger sister into the city. Little did he know that the sacrificial story his father told him would echo into his own life. In marvelously poetic language, each chapter is woven like a thread in the tapestry of the tale, adding another character that is important and touches the lives of the original brother, sister, or impoverished father. We travel from the farmland that the father took his children across the desert into the city, into the streets of Paris, across the sea into Greece, and even farther into the busy streets of California, each adding a character and another layer to the story of this family. While the constant change in direction can feel jarring in the beginning, it soon becomes apparent that these tales each play a vital role in the development of the plot. In essence, the storyline is linear and circular all at the same time, if the reader will only be patient enough to see it through. We meet many different characters who intersect in the journey of these two little children at the beginning of the book, or who impacted them in some way, and what made these people into who they were in the present moment. In short, Hosseini reminds the reader that we shouldn't judge until we have walked in someone else's shoes. One of my favorite chapter-tales was story of the American doctor who arrived in Afghanistan to do foreign aide work and service. During his time, he realized how selfish he was and even how selfish his own children were back home. Without giving away the entire story, I was blown away by how easy he was to relate to and how completely he affected me. Why? Because he returned home and ever so slowly grew numb again to all that he had awakened to in his time in Afghanistan. I sobbed into those pages and felt the air crush from lungs, because I could see so clearly how mind-numbingly easy we are to forget. We. Simply. Forget. Rather than hang onto our endeavors to change the world and make things better, it's easier to forget and grow numb; it's easier to live in our simple lives and forget that life is not so easy for others. In short, this chapter hit way too close to home. The mirror was held up to me, and I cried. After that chapter. I had to set the book aside for about two weeks. I would look at it and close my eyes with real sadness. What power Hosseini had used in language, words, and story to show me my own weaknesses. That chapter wasn't just about mankind. It was about me, and I've thought about it ever since. In short, I was blown away by And the Mountains Echoed. While some readers have felt the narrative thread was not as cohesive as they would like, in that it was not a linear story with the main characters followed throughout, I have to say that I thought this was his most powerful novel to date. The echoes of what human connection, family, and kindness can do were not lost on me. This was a game changer in a novel and whispered of action in ways that telling me never would have done. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Khaled Hosseini is good. Very good. 38-million-copies-sold-internationally good. So-successful-he-quit-his-decade-long-career-as-a-physician good. But does this mean he's talented? Of course he is. But not all bestselling authors are. Ever heard of E.L. James or Stephenie Meyer? Or how about Dan Brown? Brown's books have sold over 200 million copies, been translated into 52 languages, and he has lots of critics (not to mention haters). So why trust my opinion? Let me explain. There are lots of talented authors out there but often where they excel in one area, they seem to falter in another. There are skilled grammarians, wondrous wordsmiths and magicians of metaphor, but even equipped with all that they fail to produce a story that flows and that holds a reader's interest. Then there are the gifted raconteurs, writers who rule with style rather than language, and take readers so deep into their own world that those people forget they're just sitting in a chair with a book in their hand. There are great writers and then there are great storytellers. Khaled Hosseini is both. "And The Mountains Echoed" is his finest work. Complex, interweaving, always poignant, and often heartbreaking. The novel is prefaced by a story that establishes a perpetually bittersweet undercurrent and it shares the same central theme of family and friendship that his previous novels are known for, yet the myriad of stories he includes here makes these themes seem much weightier by comparison. Set in Afghanistan, America, and France and spanning more than 50 years, the novel takes the reader into many a character's private hopes, dreams, joys, regrets, and pain, and the six degrees of separation between them all. Hosseini described it as "revolving around brothers and sisters, and the ways in which they love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other." I was moved many times as I read this, in particular by the book's opening involving the folktale of the div who stole away children from a village. That story alone was enough to make my heart ache but there was much more wrenching stuff to come. I loved how he began it with the brother and sister, how it mirrored the story of the div, and that he closed the book with those siblings - it made it feel like everything came full circle. I also loved the common thread of each character having some sort of void within themselves, and how each struggled with it and/or desperately tried to fill it. Much as I would like to say this novel is perfect, it isn't. There are sections here that didn't seem in keeping with and/or had tenuous connective threads to the rest of the story. The chapter featuring Idris seemed as though it was written more for the purpose of elucidating a Westerner's limited knowledge of the inherent problems in Afghanistan. The chapter featuring Markos seems solely an examination on friendship and the relationship between mother and son. If these sections hadn't been a part of the novel, they could certainly stand on their own as short stories. "And The Mountains Echoed" is the type of book that I very much see being added to - and pushed to the forefront of - required reading lists for high schools nationwide in that the enormity of its themes and its observations on the sociopolitical climate in Afghanistan are of significant value in the realm of contemporary literature. It is destined to become a new classic.

Here is a book that will speak to you about the ties that bind and the fragility of familial relationships.In this stirring book we see the ways in which family members are capable of supporting each other,standing up for each other,respecting one another,and yet,are also capable of deceiving each other and disgracing one another.All things are possible,and we are witness to the complexities that weave this tale. This is a gripping story which holds many surprising turns. It will keep your interest from start to finish.Enjoy!

This book was so different from what I expected at first: based on the title it thought it might be ab bit melodramatic. Yes, there is tragedy, yes there is drama, but actually Kahled Hosseini tells a story in a way that appeals to various styles of reading. Based on a more or less loosely appearing selection of short stories it took some time and even some rereading to fully appreciate the different levels of connections between the stories. Telling the story of a family giving away a daughter into a rich person's home to be raised as their daughter, making sure that the family survives, but leaving a trauma with the involved persons. The short stories provide different perspectives on the "adoption", both from the side of the actors, but also timewise, both retrospectively and synchroneous. You should read this book if you would like to have an emotional access to the problem of child adoption for poverty reasons, would love to learn about the society of tribal Afghanistan as a kind of observer, love good stories that leave some you a bit in the dark of some additional levels of meaning. And of course if you enjoy the language. Great read!

Sensacional. Profundamente humano, mas entendam-me, fugindo do clichê: o autor trabalha com personagens “estranhas” à nossa cultura, mas que em suas diferenças mostram como somos profundamente iguais – simplesmente humanos, com nossas virtudes e defeitos! Sem concessões ao pieguismo, o autor não propõe um final feliz, exceto se o leitor for capaz de mergulhar fundo na alma das personagens, especialmente das principais, Abdullah e sua irmã Pari. O tema central – as escolhas que cada um de nós faz ao longo da vida, não tendo outras bases senão nossa intuição e nossa cultura a nos orientar, e como tais escolhas afetam a todos os que nos rodeiam – nos faz refletir sobre o relativismo do que é certo e errado: afinal, o ditado “de boas intenções o inferno está cheio” é válido? Boa literatura é isto: está além do tempo e do espaço e nos atinge em cheio, fazendo-nos pensar e – por que não? – reformular nossos valores e nos fazer crescer como seres humanos. Ao acabar de ler o livro, as personagens continuam esvoaçando em torno de nós, como se reais fossem! É quando nos identificamos com um afegão ou um cazaque, ainda que tenhamos apenas uma vaga ideia do país onde nasceu... P.S.: Não deixem de tentar responder às perguntas do “Readers Guide – Discussion Questions”.

Le livre est merveilleux, jolie écriture, l'histoire profondément touchante. La vie d'une famille se brise en mille morceaux, et, tel un puzzle, la suite est reconstituée par d'autres personnages en lien avec les héros. Certes beaucoup racontent une partie d'histoire pour disparaître ensuite sans qu'on apprenne ce qu'ils sont devenus eux-mêmes. Mais c'est la meilleure façon de reconstituer ce puzzle pour le rendre le plus réel possible et tellement émouvant. Tel un documentaire où les différents témoignages sont recueillis d'une si belle façon, l'histoire est parfaitement réussie. Mon premier roman de Khaled Hosseini qui m'a beaucoup ému.

Beautifully written book exploring the meaning of family. Khaled Hosseini is an author who blends history, place and humanity. The weaving of characters and places throughout the book provides the reader with discoveries to uncover along the way. The most enjoyable and moving book I have read.