"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." ~ Rumi
For me, Khaled Hosseini is not, and will never be, just like any other author out there. The first novels I have ever read were his own "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns", and through them, Hosseini reached deep inside of me - and of millions of other readers - with his extremely touching writing and powerful imagery. It was normal then that I would have great expectations for his third novel, especially that it had been almost three years since reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns", and boy it was just as sweet as returning home after an exhausting spell away.
Just as with the previous two books, the main events of "And the Mountains Echoed" take place in Afghanistan. There is an instant and deep familiarity with the setting and the characters, despite their relatively big number and the complexities that gradually grow in their intertwining relationships over a period of almost 60 years.
The general story, which is subdivided into several parts and told from the perspectives of the main characters at different points in time, is not as dark as Hosseini's previous works, but it is just as - if not more - emotional and effective.
The heartbreaking separation of two very close young siblings, Abdullah and Pari, and how the harsh circumstances of their old-school father's life have deprived them from each other's bond and love is the major tale around which the book revolves. Hosseini's depiction of how this premature parting have altered their lives and those around them forever is devastatingly authentic.
"The finger cut, to save the hand."
Hosseini has an unparalleled understanding of struggling women. He proved this again here through the outstanding female character, Naila, who defied all social, cultural and religious barriers to seek the life she has long desired since her troublesome childhood. She is the perfect example of an eastern woman struggling to chase her liberty in a tremendously oppressing environment. Whether or not you justify her extreme actions and behavior to achieve her purpose, one thing is certain: Naila's persona will fascinate you.
"It's a funny thing...but people mostly have it backward. They think they live by what they want. But really, what guides them is what they're afraid of. What they don't want."
French writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre has once written that "When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die." There seems to be no better place than Afghanistan to actually feel the validity of these words. Until this very day, the people of Afghanistan are far from being safe, even after tens of years of unrest. Every single Afghan family has tragically suffered in one way or another because of this ongoing war, but it is those who have been hurt by their own countrymen who will most probably never heal for generations to come. Hosseini zooms in on this issue from Adel's point of view, the young son of a hugely popular and loved religious man, who has incurred great damage on those around him while pretending that he is unconditionally serving them in the name of God and Islam. When Adel uncovers the truth on his own, you cannot help but wonder how he, and those like him, can resume their lives normally with such unbearable doubts in their minds and souls.
"I now know that some people feel unhappiness the way others love: privately, intensely, and without recourse."
Hosseini also reveals the enormous effect a parent's care - especially that of a mother - can have on one's life through the story of Greek surgeon Markos Varvaris. Markos has literally escaped his hometown to pursue his dreams and step away from his mother's shadows, and despite ultimately succeeding in that regard, he has always lacked her essential support (she is his only parent) during his highs and lows. Thankfully though, Markos eventually comes to recognize that his mother never wanted but the best for him, even when it has appeared to be otherwise. And by the time Hosseini strikes this highly-emotional recognition, Markos finally reaches a satisfaction he has never felt before during his wildly illustrious life.
"What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable."
These are only a few affairs and characters that Hosseini has greatly succeeded in dealing with in his latest stunning work. "And the Mountains Echoed" is yet another masterpiece from a writer who never fails to turn the reading process of his books into experiences that shake up the very core of the human soul. Now that you all know this, try it out for yourselves and you'll never ever regret it.
My Rating: 9/10
