Why were these characters necessary in the story?

[Seni]

I liked this book, although after reading the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, this one left me with a feeling of incompleteness. The other 2 books had character with so much more depth and they all seemed to come together, while this book seemed to have too many characters and some did not even seem to be necessary. Too many plots left unfinished. I hope his next book surpasses this one. Thanks!

[Karina]

Hello, I have a question I never understood from the book: Who was Saboors first wife? It wasn't Masoona in the end, right? Is it an unknown woman?

[Kelly]

I loved this book. I read Kite Runner many years ago and also loved it, so maybe the fact that I didn't read these so closely in time is why I am not biased in comparing the two. I thought the format of the story was not disorganized at all. It was interesting to see how so many different parts of the world and of society were intertwined. Many relationships echoed each other, such as that of Pari (younger) and Abdullah and Markos and Odie, and Thalia and her mother and Pari (elder) and Nila, which is what I believed Hosseini was trying to emphasize by using this style of writing. I thought it was beautifully written, heartbreaking, and very real.

[Abbey]

Hi,

I understand some of the frustrations expressed here, but I see that also as part of Housseni's reflection on life. We cannot fully know all about each of the people with whom our lives cross paths and yest each life is so real and unique and tragic and beautiful and with conflicts and contradictions, with shortcoming and redemptions and also, despite our lack of full understanding of each life, we affect each other's lives all the time, often without realising. We are so connected and affected be each other - for good or for bad, live in the shadows of care of another, depend on each other, etc. In other words, we are all one, all part of the big tapestry of life although as just individual threads, it's not always so easy to see that.

Another theme that comes from the fact of having having many stories/characters is related to the title - and the mountains echoed...what happens echoes in the future, echoes in the life of another/others and then another...

And finally, this tapestry, this echo is really about love (or lack of it) and how it affects us. However, Housseni, goes a step further and shows that love itself can be contradictory or ambiguous - Abdullah's could be considered unloving and insensitive by giving Pari away and yet he was probably considering "what's best for her in the long term". Nila wanted to love a child and in her way she did, but the cost was removing her from her family without even really considering this impact. At the same time other people's love can pick up the pieces, and sometimes liberating more love despite the contradictions. Thalia loving Markus's mom, also due to her love for Thalia, allowed for Markus to do his helping work in Afghanistan. The cousin's care for Roshi, made up for where his cousin fell short. Abdulla's continued love for Pari his sister helped join her with Pari his daughter and this relationship is sure to bring love and positivitity into his daughter's life (she now has love and family and the possibility to study and travel that she had sacrificed to care for her parents.)

In fact this theme of echoing love or the return on love into the future, including on next generations is also the main theme in the kiterunner (through a sense of redemption) and in a thousand spendid sons where Laila's children and family is basically saved by Miriam and continue to go back to Afghanistan, in her memory, in tribute to her love and sacrifice too.

Apart from these three main themes, the book is huge in imagery and symbolism that also connects the stories. Irony also runs through.

I love Housseni's books, because to me they are truely spiritual, wise and about our human or rather spiritual essence in this journey of life. In many cultures, spirit is connected to breath, air, wind and feathers (the main symbol in the book) like us with spirit - fly, float, travel and are carried through life on this medium.

Two more aspects that having numerous characters and stories showed was that chronological time is also kind of an illusion when we are following the story/echoes of love and that so is physical memory that indeed we cannot always control, but the spirit of love will find its own way to live on and make itself present.

[Abbey]

Hi,

I understand some of the frustrations expressed here, but I see that also as part of Housseni's reflection on life. We cannot fully know all about each of the people with whom our lives cross paths and yet each life is so real and unique and tragic and beautiful and with conflicts and contradictions, with shortcoming and redemptions and also, despite our lack of full understanding of each life, we affect each other's lives all the time, often without realising. We are so connected and affected by each other - for good or for bad, live in the shadows of care of another, depend on each other, etc. In other words, we are all one, all part of the big tapestry of life although as just individual threads, it's not always so easy to see that.

Another theme that comes from the fact of having having many stories/characters is related to the title - 'and the mountains echoed'...what happens echoes in the future, echoes in the life of another/others and then another...

And finally, this tapestry, this echo is really about love (or lack of it) and how it affects us. However, Housseni, goes a step further and shows that love itself can be contradictory or ambiguous - Abdullah's father could be considered unloving and insensitive by giving Pari away and yet he was probably considering "what's best for her in the long term". Nila wanted to love a child and in her way she did, but the cost was removing her from her family without even really considering this impact. At the same time, other people's love can pick up the pieces, and sometimes liberating more love despite the contradictions. Thalia loving Markus's mom, also due to her love for Thalia, allowed for Markus to do his helping work in Afghanistan. The cousin's care for Roshi, made up for where his cousin fell short. Abdulla's continued love for Pari his sister helped join her with Pari his daughter and this relationship is sure to bring love and positivitity into his daughter's life (she now has family and the possibility to study and travel that she had sacrificed to care for her parents.)

In fact this theme of echoing love or the return on love into the future, including on next generations is also a/the main theme in the kiterunner (through a sense of redemption) and in a Thousand Splendid Suns where Laila's children and family is basically saved by Miriam and then continue to go back to Afghanistan, to help others there, in her memory, in tribute to her love and sacrifice too.

Apart from these three main themes, the book is huge in imagery and symbolism that also connects the stories. Irony also runs through.

I love Housseni's books, because to me they are truely spiritual, wise and about our human or rather spiritual essence in this journey of life. In many cultures, spirit is connected to breath, air, wind and feathers (the main symbol in the book) - like us with spirit - fly, float, travel and are carried through life on this medium.

Two more aspects that having numerous characters and stories showed was that chronological time is also kind of an illusion when we are following the story/echoes of love and that so is physical memory, that indeed we cannot always control, but the spirit of love will find its own way to live on and make itself present.

Housseni showed himself as an artist in this book, breaking moulds in his art, expressing his themes, through his stories, in new ways.

And one more thing: in life as in books we tend to have more empathy for someone when we know their story better. Yet we rarely know so much about all those who cross our path. And the challenge (as I believe the book shows) is to be kind and loving anyway.