One Sentence Summary
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini is is a novel exploring the deep and complicated ties that bind families together and the broken bonds which result from the untold stories that lie beneath the surface.
Book Genre
And the Mountains Echoed is a contemporary fiction novel written by Khaled Hosseini.
Main Topic
The main topic of this book is of the mountains in Afghanistan, although the narrative within it ranges across the world from France to Greece to America, and explores the strong connection between family and the impact our decisions and actions have upon our past.
Key Ideas
- Interconnectivity – The narrative explores themes of interconnectivity, of how one person’s actions have an effect upon another.
- Consequences – It also delves into the consequences our decisions have on our lives and those of our family, and how our lifestyle can be at odds with the values our ancestors held.
- Love – Finally, the story emphasizes the capacity for love to mend rifts between family members and heal wounds from the past.
Main Parts
And the Mountains Echoed follows siblings Abdullah and Pari and their complicated relationship both with each other and the battle they face with tradition and culture. At the start of the novel, their father makes the hard decision to sell Pari to a childless couple, in order to provide his family a better future. The novel follows their complicated relationship as the two are separated and travel great distances. Together, the characters face their own challenges and discover in the process, their greater family lineage spanning from Afghanistan to the far corners of the world. As they come of age, they uncover the many secrets that have allowed their family to embrace different religions and spread their own traditions across generations.
At the same time, the narrative follows Abdullah and Pari’s parents, their aunts, uncles, and other relatives, as well as their circle of friends and acquaintances, all of whom have faced their own unique challenges in life. As the novel progresses, the characters’ stories interweave and hint at a larger story between them, as they each drive toward a resolution and the ultimate reunion of Pari and Abdullah.
Key Takeaways
- The consequences of decisions made in life can be far-reaching and cause collateral damage.
- There is an interconnectedness of characters throughout the book that reveals a larger story.
- No matter what form the family takes, love will always mend broken ties and relationships.
Author’s Background & Qualifications
Khaled Hosseini is a best-selling author of Afghan heritage and was born in Kabul in 1965. He is best known for his 2003 novel The Kite Runner which earned him a number of awards and accolades, including a U.N Human Rights High Commissioner for Refugees award, and two consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers. He is the author of four international bestsellers: A Thousand Splendid Suns, And the Mountains Echoed, Sea Prayer, and The Kite Runner which was made into a movie in 2007.
Target Audience
This book is suitable for all adults over 18 years of age.
Publisher and First Publication Date
And the Mountains Echoed was published by Bloomsbury Publishing (London) in May 2013.