#480 – Book Review: meet a character with RA

Margaret Buttner is the Manager of Annual Giving at The Arthritis Society. She was kind enough to write this tantalizing review of And the Mountains Echoed and I'm intrigued enough to put this on my Reading List. How about you?

Addendum: On September 13th, 2013, Jian Ghomeshi interviewed Khaled Hosseini on Q. Scroll to 49:47.

Margaret's Guest Book Review

I’ve always been a fan of Khaled Hosseini’s novels – I remember reading The Kite Runner while on vacation and being relieved that I was wearing sunglasses so no one could see the tears in my eyes. He truly has the power to bring out many emotions in his readers and with this novel, he does not disappoint. All of the characters in And the Mountains Echoed come alive in his hands and how their stories are interwoven and come back into play gave me many “aha” moments as I realized the connections.

What is particularly remarkable about this novel however, is his portrayal of Pari who develops rheumatoid arthritis as a young mother. While some writers use phrases such as “her hands were crippled by arthritis” or similar terminology, Hosseini (a physician himself) takes the time to chronicle her disease in an accurate and compassionate manner. Her symptoms and treatment, including biologics, become part of her story, along with her courage and determination to be a good mother to her young family.

The novel incorporates other contemporary social and historical issues and takes the reader around the world, but it is Pari’s story that resonated with me. I highly recommend it.

2 Replies to “#480 – Book Review: meet a character with RA”

  1. I’m intrigued too Marianna. There are very few real characters with RA that aren’t fobbed off with a few words. I have found more market researchers than people with RA (thinking of Edible Woman)

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