My book pledge

I have made a pledge to read only my backlog of books this year, at least until I'm through them. This was a suggestion on a book page on Facebook where we chat about the books we are reading, recommendations and exchange information. I did this once before and it worked really well until I got to the last four or so books and then I went out and bought a whole new lot! But at least I got my pile down greatly. These days I have no space left and they are pushed wherever I can force one in.

The only books I might buy are poetry because if I attend a poetry festival it is a good place to pick up books by poets I don't often come across, especially if I've heard them read and I like their poems. Not only that but most poets are struggling. They are not like bestselling authors who have made it and pumping out a book a year or more. Unless a poet is a really well known person like Simon Armitage they may continually hover below the radar and you won't find them on the shelves of Waterstones. There are good poets out there and they need support.

So, to the book I have just finished which is from that backlog - And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. Set in Afghanistan at the start this one differs in that the action moves to France, Greece and the USA. A brother (Abdullah) and sister (Pari) are separated when they are young and the story follows mainly the girl and her life growing up in another family (she is so young when separated that she forgets her roots yet feels there is something missing).  The story also concentrates on the lives of others whose lives touch - the uncle, his employer, a plastic surgeon. I was particularly drawn to the story of the uncle and his employer, certainly a different angle than usual. It is the uncle who in the end starts the process of a reunion between brother and sister through a letter he leaves on his death. There is also a stepbrother who is 'a small-bit player' but the relationship of his son to a child who lives in a huge house on land once owned by Iqbal's father is really interesting. I wanted to know what happened to Iqbal's son. There is a long journey to any reunion. What will each find when this happens decades later? You will have to read it yourself to find out.

I particular enjoy when a writer reveals how they came to write the story and I loved it when Khaled Hosseini revealed that some characters told him who they wanted to be written about. Some people say this isn't possible but it is! I always like to see the personal side of a writer and their writing process.

I would say that while I enjoyed the book I still preferred the first two (The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, despite the darkness of the story lines). And the Mountains Echoed explores relationship, the influence of generations, religion and family including the emotions of guilt, longing and acceptance. A good third book from the author.