A review by ylshelflove
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
"𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 π’Žπ’π’“π’† π’Œπ’Šπ’π’…. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’Šπ’” π’”π’π’Žπ’†π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 π’˜π’Šπ’π’ 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 π’“π’†π’ˆπ’“π’†π’•. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 π’˜π’Šπ’π’ 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 π’”π’‚π’š 𝒕𝒐 π’šπ’π’–π’“π’”π’†π’π’‡ π’˜π’‰π’†π’ π’šπ’π’– 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒍𝒅, 𝐀𝐑, 𝐈 𝐰𝐒𝐬𝐑 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐑𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 π’˜π’Šπ’π’ 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’Œ 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕.” 

π‘»π’‰π’π’–π’ˆπ’‰π’•π’”: 
This is the most uncomplicated-yet-complex book I’ve ever read. Hosseini starts us off with a young boy whose life is changed so drastically that decades later his daughter still reels from its impact, and then the spotlight turns to people whose lives intersect with his either directly or indirectly. It’s the story about that inexplicable bond of family, how it stretches thin, frays, rebounds, extends, but never completely breaks. Hosseini layers in themes of heritage, immigration, and privilege for a very heartfelt and powerful novel.

I personally found Idris’s story the most impactful: a genteel and dignified man who looks down on his vulgar and impulsive brother, yet shamefully comes to realize that actions speak louder than words. Reading about Markos and Pari (the younger)’s relationships with their respective parents also hit different. I’ve been financially independent from my parents for 4 years now, and have lived at least a 4hr plane flight away from them for 8 years, and yet there’s little I would treasure more than the impossibility of getting to know them before they became parents.