And the Mountains Echoed
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Could Pari and Abdullah have met again earlier?
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I found it sad that when they finally meet up, Abdullah doesn't recognize her and Pari doesn't remember him. It was bittersweet but that seems to be how life is at times. I think if they had met earlier they would have reconnected. Pari seemed to have a void in her that would have been filled by Abdullah and Abdullah never forgot her and never stopped yearning to have his sister back, so I do believe it would have worked. Storywise though, I believe the author did the right thing, even though the reader would have been rooting for a sooner reunion.
Licha wrote: "I found it sad that when they finally meet up, Abdullah doesn't recognize her and Pari doesn't remember him. It was bittersweet but that seems to be how life is at times. I think if they had met ..."I like to think you are right, but I guess it would have become very complicated if they had met earlier. I suspect Abdullah would have been disappointed that his little sister hade become secular and european. All his life he remeberd her as a 3 year old, loving and depending.
It is a sweet story; but I think Abdullah was forever captured in the past and that is why he got his wish fulfilled in the end; to forget, like the father in the story...
The author definately did the right thing; it was very sad; but could not have ended otherwise! It was the only possible ending. Though very sad!
I do wish though that Abdullah had gained some of lucidity, even if it was just for a few minutes, to finally be able to reconnect and know that he had found his Pari after so many years.
Licha wrote: "I do wish though that Abdullah had gained some of lucidity, even if it was just for a few minutes, to finally be able to reconnect and know that he had found his Pari after so many years."Yes! I also hoped for that! But maybe it happened; after the story ended; if there is such a thing as a continuation outside the book ;)
I found the very last paragraphs very touching; when Pari 2 gave Abdullah´s dream to Pari 1! I would hope that also Abdullah continued to dream that dream of sleeping with his little sister under the apple tree. And sometimes, in life, dreams and thoughts can be stronger and more real than reality itself! In that way; in thoughts and dreams they did reconnect again! But without all problems a real physical meeting could have created!
That was perhaps the strongest in this book for me. The power of thoughts, dreams and imagination! And sometimes, that which is most true does not have to be real!
Cecilia,I so agree with everything you said. It's a wonderful thought.
I also feel in my heart that the story goes on even long after the book is finished. That's the power of a good character and good story. You just don't want it to end. Characters become so real that you truly think of them as people you know.
Cecilia wrote: "Could they have met and had a new life together as young adults? What do you think?I and a lot of other people (I think) who read the book are a bit disappointed that they never got together agai..."
Cecilia,
I don't think there was ever an opportunity. The circumstances never allowed, plus there were so many variables too.
Cecilia,So, I think this is a flaw in this book. I find it hard to believe that Abdullah would not seek out Pari afterwards. It is true that he was forbidden to seek her out in Kabul, but he could have sought her out after he came to america. Now, Pari did not remember Adullah, so I can understand why she never tried to find him.
Could it be that he was afraid he might upset Pari's new life by making contact later ? Maybe, but remember their attachment is formed when pari is a baby and abdullah is taking care of every need of her. He saved the box of feathers for her, so why did he not try to find her ?
I truly enjoyed the book other than for this one point.
Suresh
This is the great gift from the tale told by the father in the beginning. Abdullah forgets (through dementia) that he has lost Pari.
The story told by father to Abdullah and pari would have not made any sense..if this story would have not ended this way. I liked it, though i agree there can be no. of other ways to end the story.
Enjoyed the book. We'll written. I think that Abdullah and Paris could have met earlier. In particular at the end of Chapter 2 Abdullah plans to leave Shadbagh in the spring, on his own. Yet after he arrives in America he sends money to his half-brother Iqbal. Meaning that whatever happened between the time he was 10 and his arrival in America he maintained contact with his family. It would have been interesting if the book had filled in how Abdullah spent his youth. At some point you would think that he would seek her out.
Susan wrote: "This is the great gift from the tale told by the father in the beginning. Abdullah forgets (through dementia) that he has lost Pari."Good analysis, Susan!
It's an intriguing question, the kind a good work of fiction will prompt. The author does an exquisite job of setting up the story in the first chapter with the tale the father tells Abdullah and Pari. I agree with those who say there could be no other ending. Remember that Pari was taken by Nila to Paris when she was only six. Nabi, who was left to take care of Mr. Wahdati, lost contact with Nila, and therefore would have had no way of telling Abdullah where to find his sister. Abdullah might have tried to find his little sister while he was a young man, but it is doubtful he would have. Besides, as so well pointed out in the first post, the cultural differences Pari was influenced by as a child would have profoundly altered the relationship the siblings originally had, if they had tried to reunite as young adults. Ultimately, the absence of "and they lived happily ever after" is what makes this a good book. The ending might disappoint some, but it will haunt all who read it.
Bettina wrote: "It's an intriguing question, the kind a good work of fiction will prompt. The author does an exquisite job of setting up the story in the first chapter with the tale the father tells Abdullah and P..."Betina, you bring up a great point when you speak of Abdullah and Pari meeting as young adults. We don't know if Abdullah had the necessary resources to actually make a trip to Paris. Your summary is very well stated. Thank you, Bettina.
Bettina wrote: "It's an intriguing question, the kind a good work of fiction will prompt. The author does an exquisite job of setting up the story in the first chapter with the tale the father tells Abdullah and P..."Bettina, your point about the cultural differences between Pari and Abdullah is spot on. She had grown to be highly independent, both because of having grown up in Paris, and also because Nila was so self-absorbed. There is no way she would have been willing to subject herself to Abdullah's very conservative approach, especially since she really had no clear recollection of him.
Cecilia wrote: "Could they have met and had a new life together as young adults? What do you think?I and a lot of other people (I think) who read the book are a bit disappointed that they never got together agai..."
The love of Abdullah for Pari wasnt the typical love for brother and sister, she was more of a daughter to him. He would have accepted her no matter what. And I find it a little ironic that all his life he was begging God to make him forget her but he didnt met her. But when he did, she was in front of him.
My answer would be yes and I was hoping that would happen... however I have to admit that the way this book ends adds intensity to the story.I also agree with Betina`s point, the cultural differences would built a wall between them.
I don't get something. How did that old guy Suleiman love Nabi ?? I really don't understand this part :(
That part also confused me. I thought he wasn't straight but if that was it then he wouldnt have got married
Suresh wrote:"...I find it hard to believe that Abdullah would not seek out Pari afterwards..."I wondered about that too, but could it be that he didn't know where to start or even what her last name was? He would have had no way of knowing she was in Paris, and since there would have been no record of the adoption, he could not have even used adoption records to try to find her.
Rida wrote: "That part also confused me. I thought he wasn't straight but if that was it then he wouldnt have got married"We have to remember that Suleiman married Nila in 1949. Back then being gay was a hanging offense, especially in Islamic countries. Gay men got married all the time because it was expected. there were a few life-long bachelors and their "room-mates", but not very many. I could see how Suleiman was in love with Nabi, but because of the time and place, was so deep in the closet he couldn't admit it. Nabi, on the other hand, was straight and was shocked out of his socks when he realized Suleiman's "secret".
Kendra wrote: "Rida wrote: "That part also confused me. I thought he wasn't straight but if that was it then he wouldnt have got married"We have to remember that Suleiman married Nila in 1949. Back then being g..."
Yeah thats a good logic. I kindof forgot the year thats why I was confused
Kendra wrote: "Rida wrote: "That part also confused me. I thought he wasn't straight but if that was it then he wouldnt have got married"We have to remember that Suleiman married Nila in 1949. Back then being g..."
Kendra, well explained. I may add that Nabi also had love for Suleiman; not the kind of romantic love (nor intimate love), but the love of having a companion... Nabi explained in his letter to Pari that being with someone and caring for someone is almost like marriage.
"But every once in a while, he thought he heard another noise among these. It was always the same, the high-pitched jingle of a bell.He didn't understand why he should hear such a noise, alone in the dark, all the sheep and goats sleeping. Sometimes he told himself he had heard no such thing, and sometimes he was so convinced that he called out into the darkness, "Is someone out there? Who is there? Show yourself." But no reply ever came. Baba Ayub didn't understand."Hosseini is a master storyteller. The parallels between the lives of Pari and Abdullah and Baba Ayub and Qais make it clear why Abdullah couldn't have met Pari sooner. He had to lose his memory.
Cisco wrote: I may add that Nabi also had love for Suleiman; not the kind of romantic love (nor intimate love), but the love of having a companion..."
I agree, there are so many different kinds of love. Nabi took care of Suleiman for several years, both before his stroke and after. I believe that when people are together for so long they develop a caring or love for one another, the love between a care giver and the one who is cared for. There were times that Nabi said they would snipe at each other and bicker. To me that says that they felt very comfortable in their relationship. They could be themselves as they were at that moment without fear that the other would stop loving the other or the other would leave. That seems like a very solid kind of love.
Not the ending i wanted or expected, but the thing is that there was no better ending to the book. Even if they had not met earlier, atleast he shouldn't have had alzheimars diseases, but i think hossaini had to related the actual story to the one of baba Ayub.Though it was a big disappointment that they never really actually got to meet or remember each other by the end.
Also, i don't think Abdullah was really that conservative judging from few posts here. He din't let his daughter to go for swims or field trip because of other duties the family had, like the restaurant business and all that. Even i was considering while reading the book that Abdullah might be a abit conservative(judged him based on his background), but Hossaini din't really give a hint of any of that.
Kendra wrote: "Rida wrote: "That part also confused me. I thought he wasn't straight but if that was it then he wouldnt have got married"We have to remember that Suleiman married Nila in 1949. Back then being g..."
True and I think the relationship that Nabi and Suleiman ended up having was in essence a kind of 'true love' story without the intimacy of a sexual relationship of course. Other than that, their relationship was almost a perfect marriage in my view.
Lots of characters..have to reconnect them sometimes..and depiction of Marco's life ..it's too vast.
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I and a lot of other people (I think) who read the book are a bit disappointed that they never got together again and lived happily together. But what if they had met earlier? Would it have worked? What would Abdullah have thought of his little sister; being a French professor and not even speaking farsi? Remember that he didn’t even allow his own daughter to go on school trips or to the swimming hall? Would he have accepted his european sister?
Could the story really have ended in any other way?
Personally, I don´t think so...