Reading Group Guide

And the Mountains Echoed By Khaled Hosseini

In brief From the number one bestselling author of The Runner and , Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives

In detail , 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari – as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named – is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to , to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.

Questions 1. begins with Saboor and his children, Abdullah and Pari, and a heartbreaking event which divides them. From there, the book branches off to include multiple characters and storylines before circling back to Abdullah and Pari. Discuss the structure of the novel – how effectively are each of the stories linked? Why do you think Hosseini chose to structure the novel this way?

khaledhosseini.com | @Khaledhosseini 2. The novel begins with a tale of extraordinary sacrifice that has ramifications through generations of families. What do you think of Saboor’s decision to let the adoption take place? What do you think of his motives? What questions does the novel raise about familial love and duty?

3. “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, / there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” This thirteenth-century poem is the epigraph for the book. Discuss the novel in relation to this poem.

4. The book opens with the fable Saboor tells Pari and Abdullah. To what degree does this story help justify Saboor’s heart-wrenching act in the next chapter? Discuss the role of storytelling in the book.

5. Two homes form twin focal points for the novel: the family home of Saboor, Abdullah, and Pari – and later Iqbal and Gholam – in Shadbagh; and the grand house initially owned by Suleiman in Kabul. Compare the homes and the roles they play in the novel. Who has claims to each house? What are those claims based on? How do the questions of ownership complicate how the characters relate to one another?

6. The old oak tree in Shadbagh plays an important role for many different characters (Parwana, Masooma, Saboor, Abdullah, and Pari) during its life. What is its significance in the story? What do its branches represent? Why do you think Saboor cuts it down? How does its stump come back as an important landmark later on?

7. Examine the role memory plays in the book.

8. The story begins in Afghanistan, moves from to Greece, and ends in America. Many of the characters in the book are displaced. Discuss the theme of exile in the novel.

9. Consider the title, And the Mountains Echoed. How does it tie the novel together?

Author biography Khaled Hosseini is one of the most widely read and beloved authors. His novels , A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed have sold over 55 million copies all over the world. Hosseini is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lives in northern . His latest book, Sea Prayer, will be published by Bloomsbury on 30th August 2018.

khaledhosseini.com | @Khaledhosseini Memorable Quotes from And The Mountains Echoed

‘I suspect the truth is that we are waiting, all of us, against insurmountable odds, for something extraordinary to happen to us.’

‘It's a funny thing... but people mostly have it backward. They think they live by what they want. But really, what guides them is what they're afraid of. What they don't want.’

‘I now know that some people feel unhappiness the way others love: privately, intensely, and without recourse.’

‘They say, Find a purpose in your life and live it. But, sometimes, it is only after you have lived that you recognize your life had a purpose, and likely one you never had in mind.’

‘Beauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly.’

‘All good things in life are fragile and easily lost.’

‘A story is like a moving train: no matter where you hop onboard, you are bound to reach your destination sooner or later.’

‘For courage, there must be something at stake. I come here with nothing to lose.’

‘What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable.’

khaledhosseini.com | @Khaledhosseini