Book Review: "And The Mountains Echoed", by Khaled Hosseini

I found a sad little fairy Beneath the shade of a paper tree I know a sad little fairy Who was blown away by the wind one night

I borrowed this book from the library at the writer's salon, and finished this 400-page book in around a day and a half during this long MLK weekend. I've read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" before this, and while it's different (more covers the lives of Afghan expats as opposed to the lives of folks in Afghanistan), there's some commonalities that Hosseini pulls together, such as rich symbolism (the large oak tree that's mentioned in some way or another across three generations), and a lot of conversations between characters, either spoken or in print. I really like how their identities are shaped away from the world around them; current events are mentioned only obliquely. There's a strong focus on family, and certain constants and anchors throughout the book (e.g. a retreat towards art by several characters independently).

I think this book resonates with me because I'm probably subconsciously looking for anchors too. I think this entire time I've thought of Afghanistan as less stable than the U.S., and now that that seems to be changing, I'm starting to wonder what really stays the same over time and what do you really get to hang on to. Hopefully the answer is something like not much, but more than you think. Or something like that, I dunno.