Book Review: And the Mountains Echoed

By Melissa Amster

A few years ago, I finally decided to pick up The Kite Runner after a lot of hesitancy to do so prior. As soon as I did, I couldn't put it down. Immediately upon finishing it, I rushed out to get A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I liked even more. So you can see why I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of And the Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini's third novel. It was definitely worth the wait!

Abdullah and Pari are brother and sister, but Pari looks up to Abdullah as a father figure and Abdullah's whole world revolves around Pari. Then something happens to shake up their world and outwardly changes the lives of others in their path, causing a ripple effect. From Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to an island in Greece called Tinos, Khaled Hosseini introduces us to ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) men and women and talks about the sacrifices made for family and loved ones and how their lives can intersect in the most seamless of ways.

I could just tell you that I loved this novel and stop right there. That's all you really need to know, right? But if you must know more, I can gladly say how moving this story was from beginning to end and how I still can't stop thinking about all the characters and what happened in their lives. Khaled Hosseini paints such a vivid picture for his readers, really bringing us into the characters' daily lives and sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. It's just so well written, honest, provoking and heartbreaking.

There were a few stories that really stood out for me above the others. I was moved by Idris' story and could relate to him in some ways. The outcome of the story hit me harder than some of the others. I wanted to be angry with him for letting that happen but I also sympathized with and felt bad for him. Then Markos' story was also really interesting, in regards to the connection he makes with Thalia and where his life takes him as a result. The final story is also really good, but I don't want to say why as to not give spoilers. The irony in that story was the most heart wrenching of all. Some other stories fell by the wayside a bit, in that they didn't really have as much of an affect on the rest of what was happening in the novel. They were good in their own way, but weakened by looking at the bigger picture. This is the case for Adel's story and Parwana's story. In the meantime, there were some stories that were slipped in, but didn't have a chance to be narrated into something bigger. I would have liked to learn more about Timur, Roshi and Saboor, from their perspectives. I got some background on Nila, but it was more through the eyes of others directly connected to her.

The only concern I had was with Nabi's story, as it was written as a letter yet told as a narrative. If he was writing it when he was in his 80s, how would he remember dialogue that took place in his 20s or 30s? I never like when a letter or a diary references actual dialogue and this happened a lot for Nabi's story. I know why it had to be in letter format, but it didn't contain the feel of an actual letter.

I can't say enough how I loved this novel and think everyone should read it. There's at least one story (if not more) in there that will affect every person for their own personal reasons. Khaled Hosseini is a natural storyteller and I hope he doesn't wait as long to produce his next novel, as I'm already eagerly awaiting its arrival!

I received this book as a gift and it was very much appreciated!

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