And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Title: And The Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 402
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Riverhead Books

Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations.

In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.

Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

Feelings:
At first I wasn't sure if the book would all come together. Each chapter was told from a different characters point of view. I really enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns and I had high expectations for this book. I thought at first that each chapter seemed like it's own story and in a way it was but it also was all connected. I liked that at the end of the book I could see how it all came together.

The first thing I really liked from the book was a lullaby, which was adapted from a poem I later found out but I still really liked how it connected the siblings. Abdullah and Pari sing to each other and each has their own verse.

Abdullah pulled the blanket over their heads. Underneath, he sang into the nape of Pari's neck:  I found a sad little fairy
Beneath the shade of a paper tree.

Pari, already sleepy, sluggishly sang her verse.

I know a sad little fairy
Who was blown away by the wind one night. (p.32) 

The book brings together many narratives in a satisfying conclusion. I wouldn't say this book is uplifting but it does have happy parts. It also shows the pain families can cause each other. The emotional pain and healing the characters go through gives hope in what would otherwise be a bleak story.

I highly recommend this book to those that liked Hosseini's other books.