And the mountains echoed

Khaled Hosseini's third novel is told via a series of interlinking stories-beginning in an Afghanistan village in 1952 when an impoverished man named Saboor is faced with the prospect of giving up one of his children in order to survive. From this crucial moment, the narrative expands, as Saboor's decision impacts his descendants and acquaintances for generations to come. Author Khaled Hosseini and narrators Navid Negahban and Shohreh Aghdashloo alternate reading duties. Of the three, the author speaks with the clearest elocution, though his reading, while precise, is also stiff at times-and this may take listeners out of the story. Negahban and Aghdashloo, who deliver the bulk of the narrative, are more emotive and hand in performances that are more likely to capture and keep listener attention. A Riverhead hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In a poor village in Afghanistan, Pari and Abdullah's father tells them a bedtime story about a young boy taken by a fantastical creature, setting the stage for the following day, when their father gives Pari to a wealthy man in Kabul. The story expands to follow the lives of the children, their family and extended family, and the people connected to them. This compelling tale documents the changing conditions for its characters as they adapt to their circumstances. The story circles back to Pari and Abdullah and the resolution of their initial separation. Hosseini (The Kite Runner; A Thousand Splendid Suns) captures the universal need for human connection, the fine balance between right and wrong, the persistence of love and hate, and the remarkable sameness of the human condition around the globe. The accents of the readers (the author, actor Navid Negahban, and actress Shohreh Aghdashloo) add to the authenticity of the story. VERDICT This book will appeal to fans of the author and to those who enjoy stories about familial relationships. Highly recommended. ["In this uplifting and deeply satisfying book, Hosseini displays an optimism not so obvious in his previous works. Readers will be clamoring for it," read the starred review of the New York Times best-selling Riverhead: Penguin hc, LJ 4/1/13.-Ed.]-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Providence (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.