Book 84: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Book 84: And the Mountains Echoed.
Author: Khaled Hosseini, 2013.
Genre: Period Fiction/Contemporary. Family Drama.
Other Details: ebook. 416 pages.
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. - synopsis from UK publisher's website.
As with Khaled Hosseini's other two novels this proved a beautifully written and powerful tale. Its format explores various interlinked lives over generations. While this seemed a less political novel it still explores similar themes as in his other two novels including the culture and recent history of Afghanistan.
This was a library reading group selection. We had wanted to read it for about 18 months but it was so in demand that it took until now to be able to reserve it. Everyone in the group was impressed with it and those who had not read the other Hosseini novels now plan to. It is an excellent novel for such groups as it provides a number of topics for discussion as well as being a satisfying read.
The novel has won a number of literary awards including being the Goodreads Choice of the Year 2014. It is well deserved.
Author's page for And the Mountains Echoed - includes background material, discussion questions and excerpt.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.