And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
As the teardrops that I cried for the last forty pages of this book dry themselves, I sit here thinking about how this beautiful book unfolded before me. Again, I am impressed by the author’s ability to create such a rich story that transcends time and then he brings it all back together in an effortless fashion.
This novel begins and ends with the story of a brother and a sister whose love for one another is palpable throughout the book. Because of these two characters we are introduced to other amazing characters through the time they are apart. There is so much hope, love and understanding within them all and I think that the symbolism of these characters is that relationships, gender, social status and birth do not define us, but we are defined by the love rooted with in us and the bonds we feel with other humans. Several of the “love” relationships that the author creates are not necessarily bound by blood. They transcend blood and are bound by empathy and good nature.
The relationship between Abdullah and Pari is familial but is broken by their own family for good intentions and in desperate measures. Uncle Nabi and their father think they are doing what is best for their family: “The finger cut, to save the hand (page 48).” This proverb seems harsh but can be seen as the necessary evil to survival.
The relationship between Nabi’s twin sisters is echoed throughout the book, most notably Nabi and Mr. Wahdati’s relationship, Thalia’s relationship with Markos’ mama, and in younger Pari’s relationship with her father. It was as though the author was trying to convey that blood isn’t always thicker than water. That love can exist between two people based on shared emotions and experiences. Sometimes our blood relatives are not our most trusted or caring people in our lives.
I feel that the storyline of paralleling the Afghan wars and the tragedies in the characters’ lives was so emotional and mirrored the eras and changes happening within the country and within these families. War affects us all in small ways and in big ways. Sometimes they are obvious and sometimes unnoticed. The war within these families is emotional, the struggle is financial and it all takes its toll on the characters.
This book follows in the footsteps of its two predecessors. Hosseini does a gorgeous job of depicting the scenery and of depicting the weight of love we feel for the people in our lives. His ability to peel back all of the layers of these characters and describe the human experience is a beautiful ability to describe us all as caring beings. We have our faults but underneath we are all doing our best to be good people. Maybe we are all caregivers in our own way.
My favorite quote from this book: “They tell me I must wade into waters, where I will soon drown. Before I march in, I leave this on the shore for you. I pray you find it, sister, so you will know what was in my heart as I went under.”
What did you think of the story Baba tells in the beginning of the book? Is it the foreshadowing of what is to come?
Was the sale of Pari to the Wahdati’s beneficial? Who did it benefit most? Who did it hurt most? Was it a financial or emotional gain?
What do you feel was the significance of the caregiver relationships throughout the novel?
How did the deaths of Masooma by Parwana and the death of Mr. Wahdati by Nabi affect you? Did you feel they were necessary? Was it fair of Masooma and Wahdati to ask their caregivers to do what they did? Was it a gracious act of love?
What did you think when Nila told Nabi: “It was you, Nabi. It was always you. Didn’t you know (page 113)”? Were you surprised by the box of drawings? How did you feel about Nabi’s reaction to finding the box?
In Nabi’s letter to Markos, he says: “Please tell her [Pari], tell her that I cannot know the myriad consequences of what I set into motion. Tell her I took solace only in hope (page 131).” Is this his apology or his justification? How would he feel if he was able to meet her at the end?
Abdullah always made excuses as to why the younger Pari couldn’t do things with her friends, go to parties or go off to college, why do you think he restricted her? Was it religious or selfish?
At the end, Abdullah leaves a package for Pari to open, which the younger Pari delivers to her, what did you think he had left her?
Pari says: “I don’t know what this feather means, the story of it, but I know it means he was thinking of me. For all these years. He remembered me (page 401).” Do you remember the meaning of the feathers?
What is the meaning of the title “And the Mountains Echoed”?
Ok, so I loved this book!!!! I think this is one of the best written books I’ve ever read (along with Gone Girl). Loved how everything was intertwined, sometimes obviously and sometimes not so obviously. It took me a while to get into it because I wasn’t sure in which direction it was going to go, but once it started building out, it was great!
The first story definitely is the basis of all the other stories, just more of a tale. The underlying message is that you must give something up in order to make things better. In regards to Pari, I think financially it benefited Baba and emotionally it benefited Nila, at least for a while. I really hate that Pari didn’t necessarily live the best life, like you assumed. She had a lot of hardships in this “better” life.
The caregivers were the people that they needed most. For Mr. Wahdati, Nabi was what he needed. He had a wife and then got a daughter, but ultimately he needed Nabi, emotionally and physically. For Markos’ mother, Thalia was better at taking care of her than Markos could, even though he was a doctor and taking care of other people, strangers. I think the caregivers in all of the scenarios were taught lessons that they needed in their own lives. The lessons and situations made them understand themselves better.
The deaths were heartbreaking, but I think they did it for the best, for themselves and the other. No one wants to see others suffering, so they acted as saviors in a sense to ease the pain and suffering that they saw on a daily basis. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair, but it is somewhat selfless to want someone to be relieved of a burden. I think they wanted Parwana and Nabi to live life and move on so the only way they could make that happen was to not be there anymore.
I was shocked when Nila told Nabi it was him. It was not they way I saw things. But once that was said, it all played back in my head and then I realized the relationship. I just thought Mr. Wahdati didn’t love Nila and turned to Nabi for attention and companionship. I was surprised by the box. I think I was still in shock of the revelation from Nila!
In Nabi’s letter to Markos, I think it is an apology. I think all of his life knowing that he took her from her family, especially Abdullah, took a toll on him. And then when Nila leaves and takes her to Paris, he realizes she didn’t get a family. I think he would have apologized to her had he seen her later in life, especially knowing the way Nila had ended up and the relationship that they had. It wasn’t good and that probably made him think twice about his decision.
I think Abdullah restricted Pari from doing stuff because he didn’t want her to go away like his sister did. I think he wanted to keep her as close as possible so he couldn’t lose her to friends, a husband or to anything else. I think it was a selfish reason so he wouldn’t feel like he did when his sister was taken from him. As a parent you want them to leave and live their life, and he wanted to enjoy her as much as possible to fill the void of his sister. I also think that’s why she’s named after her, as if he almost wanted to recreate her.
I was in total shock and tears when it was the feathers!!!! It completely brought the story full circle. I had no idea what would be in the box (I thought maybe something from their childhood like a picture or piece from their home growing up), but the feathers killed me!!!! It was almost too much! I don’t remember the meaning of them… what was it!?!?!?!?!
So I took the meaning of the title as a relation to the first story with the div. I thought the title kind of meant that you could hear the children laughing in the mountain where they were taken, which eventually correlates to the other stories in a way, with the various characters being taken away or passing on. I guess even though they are physically gone, they can always be “heard.”
Loved this book! I can’t wait to finish Atonement! Good choice on this one!
I know it was a bit tough at the beginning but it was well worth the wait! This author is one of my favorites and I love how he has introduced a region of the world to be more than just war-torn and destructive. I enjoy learning about the history from the perspective of the Middle Eastern people….not what we are fed by the media.
This story is so special and I really just enjoyed the nurturing relationships the author was able to create. He created a world where sacrifices are made out of love and it was a very accurate depiction of the things we have to give up in our own lives. These were a little more extreme in their necessity but I think we can all relate to hardships and making crucial family decisions. It all comes back to the “cutting off the finger to save the hand” analogy he states in the beginning of the book. This novel demonstrated the severity of our decisions to better our lives or the lives of our loved ones.
I am so glad that you enjoyed this beautiful book…I loved it too! I recommend his other two books as well (If you have time lol)!