A review by therealarturo
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

The two "main" characters, Abdullah, and his younger sister, Pari, were very interesting to me. They immediately drew me in due to their own connection to each other. They are siblings who rely on each other and whose bond is soldified by them being raised with very little in their possession. I would have enjoyed to know more about their story but as soon as it starts for them they are cast aside. No one else that came along later in the book had resonated with me as much as the first two characters until the very end. 

The intertwining of other characters and how they are all loosely related to each other in life is done in a clever way. Yet, when you start to appreciate a character and they become fully fleshed out, the story for them ends and the next begins. There are references to the main two characters often but they never really gain the center attention like the beginning. The introductions of new characters begin to feel like they are just used to drip feed information about the main two characters we truly care about. Decades of their life is told in passing and it feels that we are missing out.  

The themes of time, compassion, and selfishness are conveyed really well but regardless I have a love-hate relationship with this book.