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p1gu1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it destroyed me in all the right ways
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
candaceross321's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
jordynkw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
kshertz's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a heartbreaking story of three sisters told through the quietest one. The one who feels they don’t quite fit in. It was beautifully haunting and heartbreaking. The storytelling method was not one I was used to but still thought was very intentional and well done. I just wanted it to be longer and tell more of their adult lives
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Sexual assault
estam1's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Classism, Grief, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Islamophobia
micklesreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was so beautifully written, with vignettes of poetry and verse, visual storytelling, and other creative writing styles interspersed throughout the tale. It was a stunning journey, and it's going to join "A Little Life" for me on the short list of books that absolutely destroyed me.
So much grief and trauma here for three sisters to take. Their love for one another was so strong, but ugh y'all, this one will kick your ass.
So much grief and trauma here for three sisters to take. Their love for one another was so strong, but ugh y'all, this one will kick your ass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Abandonment
noble_editorial's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a powerful book. It's highly literary, with a number of poetic tangents. I think this was beautifully done, but it can be intimidating for readers who usually stick to genre fiction. A great deal is left open to interpretation, and I initially found it a bit frustrating, as I craved more explanation regarding the motivations of each sister. With time and reflection, I've become more comfortable with the author's nuanced approach, but in some ways, I do wish they had given the reader just a bit more insight. Overall, however, this is an emotional and beautifully told story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
hilaryreadsbooks's review
4.0
“In this world we were born into nothing but everything is ours: the sidewalk, the yellow markers in the road. The rain falls through the leaves and kisses us just so. What no one will ever understand is that the world belongs to orphans, everything becomes our mother. We’re mothered by everything because we know how to look for the mothering…”
Three Muslim American sisters are orphaned when their father is murdered. They are taken in by their abusive uncle, who gives them the bare minimum, instead taking and spending the money that their family left behind for them. Though these hardships, these sisters cling together even as their small family sometimes threatens to fall apart: through love, discoveries of self, leavings and separations, and grief. My heart ached for the pain these sisters went through, ached for the different ways each of them had to become more than the children that they were.
Asghar’s poetic background comes through here. Their prose is gorgeous; it swells with imagery and lyricism. There were moments when the novel felt like it wanted to become a long-form novel-in-verse: there are short, sparse vignettes, and even poems and blank or blacked out parts of texts, that pull into a slow, fractured storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I liked this for what it was, but I definitely prefer Fatimah Asghar's poetry collection to this.
I thought the relationship of the sisters with one another as well as to their uncle was well-written. Their living circumstances were tense and difficult to read about and kept me invested in their futures. I wanted to keep reading to see them out of this cramped, unhappy apartment. They look after themselves and each other and are quite disconnected from the outside world.
There was a lot that didn't seem to fit with the sisters' story though. While it's all written poetically, some portions felt too hard to connect to the greater story and that left me jarred out of the momentum of the narrative.
I'll keep my eyes open for more from this author who is seriously such a talented poet. This one was promising and while it didn't quite live up to my hopes, there was lots to admire and love in this novel.
I thought the relationship of the sisters with one another as well as to their uncle was well-written. Their living circumstances were tense and difficult to read about and kept me invested in their futures. I wanted to keep reading to see them out of this cramped, unhappy apartment. They look after themselves and each other and are quite disconnected from the outside world.
There was a lot that didn't seem to fit with the sisters' story though. While it's all written poetically, some portions felt too hard to connect to the greater story and that left me jarred out of the momentum of the narrative.
I'll keep my eyes open for more from this author who is seriously such a talented poet. This one was promising and while it didn't quite live up to my hopes, there was lots to admire and love in this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Islamophobia, Murder, and Racism
deedireads's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
When We Were Sisters is a gorgeously written novel about three Pakistani-American sisters who grow up neglected. I sunk into it and was sad to finish; just beautiful.
For you if: You like novels told in vignettes.
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up When We Were Sisters because it was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award, but I should have known it would be a stunner — we love novels written by poets, do we not? Plus, pretty much anything published by One World is excellent.
Although it’s so beautifully written, this book deals with tough subject matter. It’s told from the POV of the youngest of three Pakistani-American sisters, orphans recently taken in by an uncle who only does it for the government money and to make himself look good. Neglected and left to fend for themselves, all the sisters have is one another. We follow them from childhood through adulthood and see how their bond changes and endures.
I liked the story a lot, even though the ending felt a little abrupt to me. But where this book really stands out is the gorgeous, heartbreaking prose. It’s told in vignettes, which I loved. In true poet-writing-prose fashion, it used the text layout in beautiful, interesting ways. I actually listened to part on audio and read the rest in print, and while I was pleasantly surprised at how well it translated to audio, I still recommend reading or reading along because of the unique, purposeful formatting.
At the end of the day, I was sad when this was over (quickly, as it’s short) and was loathe to pull myself out of Fatimah Asghar’s prose.
TL;DR REVIEW:
When We Were Sisters is a gorgeously written novel about three Pakistani-American sisters who grow up neglected. I sunk into it and was sad to finish; just beautiful.
For you if: You like novels told in vignettes.
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up When We Were Sisters because it was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award, but I should have known it would be a stunner — we love novels written by poets, do we not? Plus, pretty much anything published by One World is excellent.
Although it’s so beautifully written, this book deals with tough subject matter. It’s told from the POV of the youngest of three Pakistani-American sisters, orphans recently taken in by an uncle who only does it for the government money and to make himself look good. Neglected and left to fend for themselves, all the sisters have is one another. We follow them from childhood through adulthood and see how their bond changes and endures.
I liked the story a lot, even though the ending felt a little abrupt to me. But where this book really stands out is the gorgeous, heartbreaking prose. It’s told in vignettes, which I loved. In true poet-writing-prose fashion, it used the text layout in beautiful, interesting ways. I actually listened to part on audio and read the rest in print, and while I was pleasantly surprised at how well it translated to audio, I still recommend reading or reading along because of the unique, purposeful formatting.
At the end of the day, I was sad when this was over (quickly, as it’s short) and was loathe to pull myself out of Fatimah Asghar’s prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Islamophobia, and Racism