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vegronica's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Blood, Violence, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Homophobia, Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, Abortion, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Dementia
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War and Islamophobia
bookishevy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Nasr family is spread across the globe. Mazda and Idris, Syrian and Lebanese respectively, live in California. Their eldest Ava lives in Brooklyn with her family, middle child Mimi lives in Austin with his girlfriend, and Naj, the youngest, lives in her ancestral home of Beirut, in a house that has served as the family's nucleus. When Idris decides to sell his childhood home following his father's death, the family descends on the house to unite against him.
The prologue sets the tone of the story. It's from the perspective of a young man in a refugee camp in 1970s Lebanon. He feels guilt while reflecting on the choices he's made and the people he's hurt as he faces imminent death. A complication of the civil war. This young man, though not in the present, has a presence that is felt throughout the story.
Most of the story is told from the perspectives of Mazna and her children. The longer chapters are Mazna's with the longest being 114 pages. If long chapters are a deal breaker, this book is not for you. If you're like me and are willing to push through, it will be worth it. In Mazna's flashbacks, we experience her childhood in Damascus, her ambitions, her romantization of Beirut, her first love, her dashed dreams, her grief, acrimony for her husband.
The Syrian-Lebanese Civil War serves as a backdrop to Mazna's flashbacks, and the ongoing tension between the two nations mirrors that of this family with all its secrets that threaten to bubble to the surface now that they're all under the same roof.
This warm and funny read provides insight into this family's rich history while exploring the legacy of war in the Middle East, the Arab immigrant experience in the U.S., the LGBTQ experience in the Middle East, and shows us that sometimes we can't escape our past.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: War, Violence, and Abortion
jillaay_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Abortion, Alcoholism, Medical content, War, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Racism, and Dementia
dragongirl271's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, and Death
Minor: Racism, Abortion, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
danielnski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Infidelity, War, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual violence
cjlacyhanks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion and Dementia
Minor: War
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Hate crime
Moderate: Classism, Dementia, Pregnancy, Racism, Vomit, Violence, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, and Grief
Minor: War, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racial slurs, Car accident, Abortion, Blood, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Toxic relationship
katharina90's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The characters are beautifully complex, sometimes loveable, sometimes infuriating. As with Salt Houses, I found myself much more invested in the lives of the older generation.
At times, the pacing was slower than I would have liked but pushing through those parts was well worth it.
The one thing I really didn't care for was the amount of infidelity. It felt repetitive for almost every character to either cheat or be cheated on, or both.
Moderate: Physical abuse, Abortion, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Sexual assault, Racism, Infidelity, and Homophobia
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion and War
pagesintranslation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: War
Moderate: Abortion and Violence
Minor: Vomit