From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, the book that readers everywhere have been waiting for: his first novel in six years.
And the Mountains Echoed is a deeply moving new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another and how the choices we make resonate through history. A multi-generational family story revolving around brothers and sisters, it explores the ways in which they love, wound, betray, honour and sacrifice for each other.
With profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion - and moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos - Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways that we help our loved ones in need and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.
Khaled Hosseini, author of the global bestsellers The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns , has spent six years writing And the Mountains Echoed , which Bloomsbury editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle describes as 'a big book in every sense of the word. He has told half a century of history, of a land and a people, through so many different characters, all of whom the reader loves and cares for'.
Read Caroline Baum's Review:
This book comes freighted with expectations and anticipation as the first book in six years from the author of the now classic The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
A saga of several generations of an Afghan family it begins with the harrowing story of a brother and sister who are separated in the most tender years of childhood. By the time it reaches its conclusion the story has shifted around the globe, mirroring the diaspora of the dispossessed, and embracing those who return from overseas to reclaim what is left of their home after war has done its work.
Profound sadness and loss hover over every page and the ending is heart-crunching, as you know it has to be.
About the Author
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the United States in 1980. His novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were international bestsellers, published in thirty-four countries. The graphic novel of The Kite Runner was published in 2011. In 2006 he was named a US Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.
Bloomsbury has sold over six million copies of Khaled Hosseini's novels.
Industry Reviews
A story of love, separation, friendship, compassion, exile, memory and the troubled history of Afghanistan, spanning three continents and 60 years... Hosseini is a master storyteller and his characters brim with life... This novel will not disappoint his many admirers -- Paul Dunn The Times Hosseini's evocative tales don't just capture hearts, they break them Glamour I defy any critics less high-minded than, say, F.R. Leavis not to enjoy the sheer zest with which Hosseini goes about his business here - or admire the unhurried confidence with which he sweeps through the years. And if they do admit that resistance is futile and allow their heartstrings to be shamelessly tugged, they might spot something else as well: in its admittedly unsubtle way, the novel gives a thorough airing to the central question of whether it's better to stay true to your roots or rise above them ... Let's face it, Hosseini is a master storyteller -- James Walton Spectator Fascinating and moving Stylist A profoundly moving story of how families love, betray, honour and make sacrifices for each other Woman & Home We defy you not to cry Asos Yes, there will be tears InStyle Heart warming and beautiful Essentials Clever and moving Easy Living Hosseini pulls off his usual - impressive - trick of breaking your heart and leaving you smiling -- Helen Brown Daily Telegraph Tremendously moving -- Omid Djalili Daily Express Touching and epic Sunday Telegraph A worthy successor . Part of Hosseini's effectiveness as a storyteller is the way he draws on universal signifiers of myth and symbol . In mining such truths about human experience, Hosseini digs deep and brings up diamonds -- Rachel Hore Independent on Sunday A touching story of love across time and continents Sunday Express Takes you on an irresistible treasure trail of stories from Kabul to Paris, via San Francisco and the Greek island of Tinos . Hosseini's characters are beautifully drawn . For a novel that will change how you judge yourself and others, it has to be Hosseini -- Sarah Pyper Stylist I was looking forward to sinking into the lush narrative of Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed . Hosseini's book is an absorbing read. His characters are nuanced and their overlapping narratives stay with you. It's a heartbreaking and beautifully told story of sibling love and loss -- Emma Rion Stylist The key to Hosseini's story-telling is to keep us constantly guessing . Hosseini has a gift for lyrical description, but the chief merit of his style is a simplicity that allows him to go straight to the heart. He has written a magnificent, compassionate, life-affirming novel -- Anthony Gardner Mail on Sunday A beautifully narrated tale ... It is impossible to read Hosseini's novels without feeling at times that your heart is being ripped out and yet somehow you finish the novel feeling as if you have been given a very special gift -- Lizzy Greenhalgh Lady A heartbreaking story of enduring sibling love Good Housekeeping Hosseini goes straight to the heart of the matter in this magnificent, compassionate, life-affirming novel Irish Mail His third engrossing tale of life, love, hope, despair and redemption set against the backdrop of war-ravaged Afghanistan ... The novel's poignant, bitter-sweet conclusion will almost certainly bring tears to your eyes - devotees of the emotionally charged Kite Runner would expect no less -- Kath Whitbourn Daily Mail Emotionally wrenching -- Luisa Metcalfe Scottish Daily Express He is a master of that principle: get your readers where they want to go, but not in the way they expect ... And the Mountains Echoed charges its readers for the emotional particles they are, giving them what they want with a narrative facility as great as any blockbusting author alive -- Alexander Linklater Observer This is a shamelessly enjoyable book -- Philip Hensher Guardian He brings a real, human Afghanistan to life in a way that endless news stories about bombs and the Taliban can't ... The mountains echo with the voices and events from the past and the ripples extend outwards beyond the final page -- Luisa Metcalfe Daily Express His most assured and emotionally gripping story yet ... Succeed[s] in spinning his characters' lives into a deeply affecting choral work is a testament both to his intimate knowledge of their inner lives and to his power as an old-fashioned storyteller -- Michiko Kakutani International Herald Tribune And the Mountains Echoed opens like a thunderclap...From this dramatic opening spins a constellation of star-crossed characters...Love, Hosseini seems to say, is the great leveller, cutting through language, class, and identity. No one in this gripping novel is immune to its impact O - The Oprah Magazine Hosseini plants seeds and uncovers secrets with the sure hand of a master storyteller. His tales leave a lingering, haunting impression Metro His best yet Scotsman This universality and humanity may well be why millions of readers devour Hosseini's books. I read And the Mountains Echoed in a single sitting - it is an absorbing read from a master storyteller Financial Times An exquisitely rendered study of familial bonds ... And the Mountains Echoed moves deftly between generations and countries ... The novel is a dizzying array of voices and places that allows the reader to luxuriate in Hosseini's rich, textured language. Hosseini is a masterful storyteller Literary Review Heartbreaking Grazia A profoundly moving novel, undoubtedly one of the year's highlights. It is also Mr Hosseini's best and most ambitious work yet Irish Examiner Another sweeping, breath-taking novel from the author of The Kite Runner Daily Express
