And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
This book exudes a deep sense of melancholy and sadness from the very first page. As expected from any Khaled Hosseini novel, I anticipated the emotional weight of this story, yet I was still unprepared for how painful some parts would be. The story hits close to home as it explores the deep connection between families and the impact of choices and sacrifices that transcend generations.
The first four chapters had me fully immersed in the story, but the rest left me feeling a bit frustrated. The author introduced the stories of other characters besides the main protagonists, Abdullah and his sister Pari. The chapters narrated by Idris and Markos were lengthy and only offered brief glimpses or loose connections to Abdullah and Pari’s separation and hoped-for reunion. Reading their chapters left me feeling somewhat disconnected every time a new character and subplot were introduced, as I was eager to return to Abdullah and Pari’s story. While these interconnected stories are rich and impactful, I would have appreciated more chapters dedicated to Abdullah and Pari. I felt that the ending was a bit lacking, or perhaps it was the author’s intent to leave the readers with a sense of discontentment, as not every story ends with a happily ever after.
Nevertheless, And the Mountains Echoed is still a very good book, though it is my least favorite among Hosseini’s works. His books are among my favorites because they are haunting in a way that few others are. No other author can evoke such deep grief through the personification of his characters and their struggles. His stories bring unexpected twists and turns that catch you by surprise and break your heart in the most devastating way.
So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one... Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari—as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named—is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.