And the Mountains Echoed is an enjoyable, albeit at times confusing, read. Hosseini writes beautifully, and you easily feel the emotion, passion, and tension of each character’s story. The frustration comes in the blending of several people’s stories. As each narrator changes, sometimes in first person and sometimes in third, I felt a hurdle, more like a pile of sand bags, that had to be crossed to catch up and understand from whose perspective this part of the tale was being shared.
That aside, the pictures Hosseini paints with words do not disappoint. I didn’t find the same level of attachment as I did in The Kite Runner (probably because the nature of the story-telling prevented me from becoming attached to any particular character), but I think I rank this most recent a bit ahead of A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Perhaps, no, certainly, that is due to the nature of the story. Mountains kept me a bit more intrigued to see how this would come ’round and even if it would or could. But like the others, what a beautiful picture painted of a country we hear so little about regarding its beauty. And for taking a glimpse there, my life is enriched.