And the Mountains Echoed

The chapter begins with a teacher, Malalai, telling a young student, Adel, that his father is a great man. Adel lives in a town called New Shadbagh, the population of which consists of refugees from the old town of Shadbagh. Adel, Malalai, and many others are standing outside, listening to a speech from Adel’s father, Baba jan. Baba jan has built a school for young Afghani women, and this is the opening ceremony. He walks by his young pupils, all of whom address him as “Commander Sahib.”

Adel thinks about his relationship with his father, Baba jan. As a younger man, Baba jan fought against the Russians during their war in Afghanistan. He was shot twice during this conflict, and still shows off his wounds. He is openly committed to the principle of jihad (the Islamic principle of constant struggle for faith). Adel wishes that he could have joined in the jihad alongside his father. He also recognizes that he’s extraordinarily lucky to be the son of such a great man.

The opening ceremony draws to a close, and Baba jan motions for Adel to accompany him to his car. An old man, accompanied by a child, stops Baba jan and tells him that they need to speak. Baba jan speaks quietly with the old man for a few moments, and then climbs into the car, alongside Adel, to be driven home by his private chauffeur, Kabir. Kabir drives Abel and Baba jan through New Shadbagh, past shops, houses, and a huge public square. In the center of the square there is a statue of a man wearing a turban and holding a rocket-powered grenade launcher. Adel knows that his father has been personally involved in the building of many of these sites in town.

The car swerves out of New Shadbagh toward Adel’s home in Old Shadbagh. Adel remembers growing up in the larger city of Kabul. When he was still very young, Baba jan moved Adel and Baba jan’s wife to Shadbagh, where they still live. Baba jan and Adel arrive at their home, and before they get out, Adel tells his father that he feels proud today. Baba jan responds that Adel must learn to help other people, using his power and talent for the good of his nation. Baba jan adds that he’ll be visiting Helmand, a nearby city, soon. He reminds Adel that nothing in the world is more important to him than his son.

Later in the evening, Baba jan has left for Helmand. The old man who stopped Baba jan earlier in the day stops by the house. Kabir, the servant and assistant, walks outside and tells the old man to go away. The old man stubbornly says that he’ll wait as long as it takes for “the commander” to return. Adel, listening to the conversation, asks Kabir what he does for his father. Kabir explains that he’s there to protect “the commander” from nuisances and enemies. Adel is close with Kabir: they play games and watch movies together. He often notices that Kabir carries a gun, a Kalashnikov (the “K” in AK-47).

A few days after Baba jan leaves for Helmand, Adel walks into his parents’ bedroom. There he finds his stepmother (whom he thinks of as his mother), working out in front of a television. She is a small, pretty woman. Adel rarely sees his biological mother, since she lives in Jalalabad with her three sons (Adel’s half brothers). Adel enjoys spending time with his half-brothers, and he wishes he lived with them. He recognizes that his stepmother is very lonely in Shadbagh—she does nothing all day but work out and watch television. Adel recently learned that his stepmother wasn’t originally intended to be Baba jan’s wife: Baba jan had wanted to marry her older sister, Adel’s Aunt Nargis.

Adel decides to spend the day walking around his house’s enormous grounds. He wanders by his father’s prized orchard. Suddenly, he sees a young boy—the same boy who was standing with the old man who accosted Baba jan. Adel asks the boy what he’s doing there, and the boy explains that he’s only looking for some shade. The boy points out the man on Adel’s T-shirt, the great soccer player Maradona. They get into a lively conversation about soccer, and afterwards, the boy introduces himself as Gholam. Adel introduces himself as well. Adel enjoys talking with his new friend, as he hasn’t talked to a boy his own age in nearly two years. Adel and Gholam decide to play soccer together. Adel easily defeats his opponent—he notices that Gholam is weak, has bad vision, and seems to be in poor health.

Adel and Gholam continue talking. Gholam explains that he was born in a Pakistani refugee camp outside of Jalozai. He mentions his father’s half brother, Uncle Abdullah, who lives in America and sends his family money. One day, the Pakistanis sent the Afghan refugees, including Gholam and his family, back to Afghanistan. It was around this time that Abdullah stopped sending money. Gholam lives in a tent in a field, with his father. Gholam also mentions that his father has an uncle, Nabi, who lives, or lived, in Kabul.

Gholam and Adel continue talking. Gholam mentions that Adel’s father has many enemies. Adel has heard this from his own father: Baba jan told him that many of the same people who fought alongside him against the Russians in the 1980s have now turned against him, and spread rumors about him. Adel mentions that his father is currently inspecting his cotton fields in Helmand—fields that Adel has heard about for many years. Gholam laughs and calls Adel “a piece of work.” Adel isn’t sure what this means.

In the coming days, Adel sees little of Gholam. Then, about a week after meeting him for the first time, Adel sees Gholam near the orchards, carrying a paper bag. Gholam explains that his father has found a job making bricks, and Gholam’s new job is to mix mortar. This is hard work, and gives him horrible blisters. Gholam suggests that they play more soccer, and Adel agrees. For the next few days, they play every afternoon. Adel learns more about Gholam’s father, whose name is Iqbal. Iqbal is struggling to find regular work as a brick maker.

One day, Gholam tells Adel something unpleasant: Adel’s father built his mansion on Gholam’s family’s land. The orchard area used to be dotted with people’s houses. Adel can’t believe this is the truth. He accuses Gholam of lying, and tells him that Baba jan is a great, generous man. Gholam continues, talking about how horrible his family members felt when they returned from Pakistan to find that Adel’s father had destroyed their homes and built a mansion there. Gholam insists that his father has the ownership documents for Adel’s father’s land—documents he has tried to show Adel’s father, with no success. Gholam leaves Adel, but before he does, he tells Adel to ask his father to show him the “cotton fields” in Helmand.

The evening after his fight with Gholam, Adel still isn’t sure what to believe. On one hand, he worships his father, and finds it hard to believe that he could do any wrong. On the other, he can’t understand what Gholam meant when he mentioned cotton fields. He asks his stepmother if she’s ever seen the cotton field in Helmand. His stepmother says that she’s never even been to Helmand, since Baba jan says it’s unsafe to stay there.

A few days after he speaks with his stepmother, Adel sees Gholam wandering through the orchards. Gholam tells Adel that there’s been a highly suspicious mix-up at the courthouse. Iqbal brought the judge his ownership documents, but the documents have now, according to the judge, been mysteriously burned. The judge insists that without ownership documents, Iqbal has no case for reclaiming his land. Iqbal had also noticed that the judge was wearing a gold watch. With this, Gholam walks away from Adel, looking furious.

A few days after Adel’s talk with Gholam, Baba jan returns to Shadbagh. Adel is overjoyed to see him, though he can’t stop thinking about what Gholam has told him. Baba jan sits down to tea with Adel and his wife. He tells a story about his battles with the Russians in the 80s. Suddenly, there’s the sound of breaking glass. Baba jan rushes to the broken window, where he finds a rock lying on the ground. He looks out of the window and sees the old man who accosted him outside the school. Baba jan tells his wife to take Adel upstairs. Upstairs, Adel asks his stepmother what Baba jan will do with the old man. She replies that he’ll try to use reason to make peace with him. Adel begins to weep, and eventually he falls asleep in his stepmother’s lap.

Shortly after the incident with the window, Adel sneaks into his father’s study and uses his computer to look up information about the event. Online, he finds a story about an “Assassination Attempt” on his father. The story explains that Baba jan tried bravely to protect his wife and child from a dangerous assassin with ties to the Taliban. The story doesn’t say what happened to the supposed assassin.

Adel leaves his father’s study, thinking about everything he’s experienced. He realizes that he’ll never be able to worship his father as he used to. He also realizes that his stepmother must know some disturbing things about her husband—things which she keeps hidden from Adel. In the end, Adel assumes, he’ll probably come to accept everything his father does, except that he’ll never be able to love his father again.