Review: And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A complex story spanning many decades, And the Mountains Echoed tells of unimaginable loss and strange intersections in the lives of Afghan families scattered by war and poverty.

The story is set on the stage of Afghanistan's painful history. Pre-Soviet, the mujahedeen, the rise of the Taliban and the American invasion after 9/11 -- it is all there.

I thought this quote captured so much of what this book is about: "I suspect the truth is that we are waiting, all of us, against insurmountable odds, for something extraordinary to happen to us."

The author tells the story in fragments, jumping continents and countries, all the while pointing back to the reasons for each person's path in life, how each decision was set into motion, and how events shaped and scarred.

It was sad. It was wonderful.

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