Julie's Review: And The Mountains Echoed

Summary: An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else. Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe — from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos — the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page. ~powells.com

Review: When you've waited years for one of your favorite authors to release a new book and the day has come where you get to read it, you hope it won't let you down. All I can say is And the Mountains Echoed lives up to my expectations and exceeds them. It is simply poetic. There is no other author I read that writes like him.

And The Mountains Echoed takes us to Afghanistan and the struggles of every day people. It is the daily strife of life, the subtle and heart-wrenching prose, the collection of narratives that are all intertwined, familial connections that make this book stunning.

The characters are so real that you feel their struggles, pains and hopes. The story that moved me the most was Abdullah and Pari. The love and affection that they had for each other transcends anything that I've read before. They are spiritually connected like no other siblings I've read about. Theirs is a story of love, hope, loss and second chances.

What Mr. Hosseini makes abundantly clear is that any one decision has long lasting effects and can span many generations of one family. It is about forgiveness and understanding the why of decisions, even if those decisions had irreparable outcomes.

There isn't really much more I can say other than pick up And the Mountains Echoed and read it. It will move you and make you believe in the resilience of humanity.

I can only say that I hope it's not another 6 years before his next book. In fact, I hope he's writing while he's on tour!

Mr. Hosseini is now on Facebook, where you can follow his stories. And the Mountains Echoed is on sale from fine booksellers on 5/21/2013.

Final Take: 5/5

Please enjoy the video of Mr. Hosseini talking about And The Mountains Echoed.

Thanks to Riverhead Books for my ARC of the novel.