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brogan7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This is a difficult book, and yet told through the eyes of a child. A family decides to relocate from Kabul to Australia. Their journey is not just challenging, it's deadly and demeaning and unusually cruel. Government policies set far away have extreme consequences on these families and individuals, trapped in a camp, in limbo, not knowing their status, constantly being offered a return flight to Afghanistan. After all their torment to get as far as they have! The family's distress is palpable. The author refers to pills everyone is taking, to sleep, and this part is a little muddy in terms of what exactly the refugees are being given, and whether they're addicted to these pills or what.
The writing is sparse and poetic. The character development is excellent. If I see one small drawback, it's that huge plot points emerge late in the story, and it feels like neither the characters nor the reader have time to absorb them. Maybe that's more like real life, but as a reader I felt projected out of the story.
The writing is sparse and poetic. The character development is excellent. If I see one small drawback, it's that huge plot points emerge late in the story, and it feels like neither the characters nor the reader have time to absorb them. Maybe that's more like real life, but as a reader I felt projected out of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Child death, Suicide, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
sydneygard36's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
shadylane_00's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
ddmgembala's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
bonzoobel's review against another edition
5.0
wtflip. it's difficult for books to get me to shed a few tears but this one made me flatout bawl when i finished it. i loved every single line, the prose is meticulously crafted and the imagery is so visceral its crazy. nasima...... GWHWJHHGHHHUU@#UE)...... words cannot describe. ITS SO OVER. NO OTHER BOOK CAN COMPARE.
mgmacavoy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
lemurking's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
ime0509's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
texreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An Afghan family escape Kabul, through Pakistan, then on an overloaded boat to Nauru, the holding island for refugees to Australia. Told from a preteen girl, she experiences such hardship often unknowing how much worse it could be. So many thing were special about this book: 1) the plight of refugees everywhere, 2) told from the perspective of a child, 3) revealing Australia faces a refugee crisis like the rest of the world and handling it poorly like the rest of the world. This is an extremely difficult book to read—the family is pummeled with everything that can go wrong. When you just want them to survive. And I learned how Nauru was once one of the richest countries per capita in the world until it was stripped of its natural resources, only to become a “holding pen” for the “undesirable” immigrants. Fortunately it’s a short read. But an important one.