And the Mountains Echoed - Book Review

NARRATIVE OVERVIEW

Khaled Hosseini’s powerful narrative of separation, power, love and life leaves one stunned and awestruck at the beauty of the many intertwined stories. The story revolves around the powerful relationship between a brother and his sister - young Abdullah and Pari. Their mother died while giving birth to Pari and their father remarries Parwana who bears him a son. This forces Abdullah to become a mother to his sister creating an unbreakable bond between them, which will have to face the test of time and distance. Their uncle, Nabi works for a rich gentleman in Kabul. He regularly comes to see them in the village. He invites them to Kabul for a tour of the city. This seemingly innocent trip turns into a nightmare when Abdullah and Pari are separated. Pari is ‘taken in’ by Mr. Wahdati and his wife – Nila. The story then shifts to Mr. Wahdati’s new family. All seems to be going well but their perfect life is disrupted when Mr. Wahdati has a stroke, which leaves him paralyzed. Nila leaves him with Pari and settles in Paris. In France, Pari grows up in a new culture and struggles with her identity and history. The storyline then shifts to America, where Abdullah had emigrated after the war displaced them from their village. He has a daughter who he named Pari in remembrance of his lost sister. She manages to reunite the long separated brother and sister, but will they recognize and recapture their lost relationship? The author stuns us with a seat-gripping answer. We also see the story of two brothers who fled the war and return to claim some land. We realize the struggle they face when confronted with the reality of their broken country and traumatized fellow citizens. The author also shows us the heroic work humanitarian groups are doing for Afghanistan with the story of Markos who works as a Plastic Surgeon, helping people who have been disfigured after the war. At the end, he ties up all the stories superbly and teaches us many valuable lessons.

REFLECTIONS

RELATIONSHIPS

Abdullah’s and Pari’s separation is complemented with a variety of other relationships giving us an overview of the dynamics of various relationships and how they can help or hurt the person. For example, Pari’s relationship with her brother was one of total trust and confidence. She knew that he would do anything for her and he actually did that. He loved her with a pure and divine love. This shaped her life in a huge way. After the separation, when she grew up she always felt a presence missing in her life. This surely can be traced back to the strong relationship she had with her brother when she was young.

We also see the strength of the relationship between Nabi (Pari’s uncle) and his employer, Mr. Wahdati. Nabi is grateful to his boss for having given him the job and learns to accept and live with the many eccentricities of Mr. Wahdati. He does his job well and Mr. Wahdati does not give him a hard time. After Mr. Wahdati gets a stroke and becomes paralyzed, His wife Nila leaves him with Pari. It is now that Nabi shows his loyalty by sticking by his master’s side during this difficult period. The relationship of ‘Master-servant’ transforms to one of ‘Father-Son’. Nabi becomes more than a friend to his employer; he becomes his son. This transformation is certainly surprising and shows a selfless attitude on Nabi’s part. What is even more surprising is the fact that after Nabi discovers that his master is homosexual and has feelings for him; he continues to behave normally with him. This fact does not change anything in their relationship but actually strengthens it because Nabi, rather than judging Mr. Wahdati, understands him and grows closer to him. In the end when Mr. Wahdati passes away, Nabi is shocked to find that he has inherited all the property, which his employer owned.

MAKING CHOICES

The book starts with Abdullah choosing to follow his father and sister to Kabul and staying fixed in his choice. Though his father is trying to dissuade Abdullah from following them, but he will not be shaken. Nothing can separate him from his beloved sister. But when they arrive in Kabul and meet their uncle Nabi, little did they know the choice he had made. He had chosen Pari to be his mistress’ new child. Since she was not able to conceive naturally, Nabi recommended adoption. He approached his brother and told him all about it. Her father also chose to give Pari up for a payment. These series of choices and decisions made a huge impact in the life of little Pari. She was not aware of all that was going on but it affected her on a deeper level.

We also see what Nabi chooses when he has to decide between remaining as a servant or leaving his master after his master suffers a stroke. We see Nila making a choice of leaving her husband after he becomes paralyzed. In this book, we understand that one has to make hard choices in one’s life. What influences these choices are not the concern but that in life choices are to be made. Once they are made, one has to learn to live with them. Whatever the consequences of one’s choice are and however hard the effects of the choice are; one has to live with it. Since one cannot change the choices in one’s life, we must be aware while making big and small decisions. Understanding that all our choices, however small make a difference in our life and in the lives of others is essential to making good choices.

EFFECTS OF THE WAR

The war in Afghanistan displaced thousands of people and the beautiful village of Abdullah and Pari is not spared. Abdullah and his family become refugees and they flee to Pakistan. We are given an example in the book that shows us how easily the country forgets its people in the name of development. It is the story of Aziz, whose father is a rich executive who helps the needy and solves the problems of the ordinary man. But he has bought the entire village at dirt-cheap prices since the war was ongoing and now he runs an orchid farm on it. When Ghaloum comes with his father to reclaim their village land, he is shocked to find his house demolished and see fruit trees in its place. When they approach Aziz’s father to ask for their land back, they are rudely refused and ignored. They are now made paupers and have to do small jobs while they can settle down and rebuild their life again. Aziz and Ghaloum strike an unlikely friendship and they bond over football and secret cigarettes. But when Ghaloum reveals his unfortunate story to his friend, Aziz loses faith in his whole life starting from his father. Aziz goes through an identity crisis and understands that the world is unfair.

We also see through Ghaloum the horrific state of refugee camps. This reality forces children like him to grow up much more quickly than a normal child. The effects of a war are very devastating. We see the far reaching effects that it has on the psyche of people. Awareness of the problems allows us to help these people if we come across them. The feelings of compassion and empathy that the novel evokes should lead us to helping out in real life. Once that is achieved, real good is done through novels like this.

SEXUALITY

The author pushes into new areas of sexuality, at least for the novels initial place. We see this in the fact of Mr. Wahdati being homosexual. Is the author trying to send a subtle message to the audience, especially conservative Afghanistanis? He says that perhaps he was born in the wrong age, the wrong culture or both. This presents Mr. Wahdati as a trapped and misunderstood person. This explains the reasons for his eccentric character.

We also see on the opposite side his wife Nila. She is an extroverted and extremely sociable person. She has affairs and is a ‘loose cannon’. We see the contrast presented very visibly with Nabi –their servant observing them closely.

CONCLUSION

The book is a wonderful read; the language is clear and easy to follow. The author is creative with the form of writing. To break the monotony of narration, he uses letters, interviews and stories within stories to engage us. The chapters are not placed according to a logical flow giving the reader a puzzled but curious feeling. Though the chapters don’t flow into each other, there is a connection which is up to the reader to make. Ultimately an engaging read, ‘And the Mountains Echoed’ leaves the reader satisfied yet thirsting for more. Read and enjoy it for yourself.

Alfred Menezes