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siriface's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Racism
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Both tender and heartbreaking, Asghar shares a story of three orphaned siblings processing their grief while taking care of one another as they grow up. When We Were Sisters is told from the perspective of the youngest sibling, Kausar, and while I enjoyed the story, I wish we could have gotten the perspectives of the older sisters as well, Aisha and Noreen. I also wish more could have been said about gender, which was just barely explored (though I think you could say that to be the case for a lot of other themes that appeared in this book).
Something outstanding about this book is the lyricism and creative approach to storytelling. Asghar’s writing style demonstrates that they put a considerable amount of thought into every word in order to create beautiful moments throughout the book. But, again, I wish some of the themes that were brought up (e.g., gender, religion, sibling relationships, etc.) were explored more in depth, even if it meant sacrificing some of the beautiful writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Racism, Murder, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Islamophobia
literarylocd's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
that was a lot of damage (esp the acknowledgments at the end)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Child abuse
Moderate: Racism, Domestic abuse, and Islamophobia
amandalorianxo's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Re-read physical version June 9-June 10,2023 & I still stand by my four stars. Sad, tense and heart wrenching what these sisters go through. How incapable this Uncle is of raising anyone much less three children. The thought process of our narrator, Kausar, made me wonder if the author lowkey was trying to explain their early non-binary realizations into this fictional character. The relief I felt when Uncle is no longer in Noreen, Aisha nor Kausar’s lives.
So it took me a minute to realize that the first voice (male) was the voice of the uncle who would eventually be the pseudo caregiver of his three nieces. He is upset in the beginning, having married a white woman, two sons with her but then they divorce. So there is some residual anger there. Of course, he is given money for “taking care” of his nieces even though he doesn’t really parent them. All three sisters are navigating growing up in different ways. The author is a poet and it’s obvious throughout since this is a story told in verse format. I do found myself a little bit lost at times, this is not told in a linear timeline but I did enjoy this. If /when I re-read this I will be switching to the physical copy to see what I may have missed out on.
So it took me a minute to realize that the first voice (male) was the voice of the uncle who would eventually be the pseudo caregiver of his three nieces. He is upset in the beginning, having married a white woman, two sons with her but then they divorce. So there is some residual anger there. Of course, he is given money for “taking care” of his nieces even though he doesn’t really parent them. All three sisters are navigating growing up in different ways. The author is a poet and it’s obvious throughout since this is a story told in verse format. I do found myself a little bit lost at times, this is not told in a linear timeline but I did enjoy this. If /when I re-read this I will be switching to the physical copy to see what I may have missed out on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
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
ambereen's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Murder, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Child abuse, Rape, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Racism, and Emotional abuse
apieceofjaaay's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I had never read Fatimah's work before this but I look forward to reading their old work as well as whatever else they decide to release in the future.
The writing is absolutely the best part of this book. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest sister (Kausar) and we watch her grow up as the book progresses. The special part is the writing evolves and ages as the narrator continues to age. Even when the narrator is at her/their youngest, the writing is childlike but not childish. I enjoyed the characters, specifically the other sisters (Nooren and Aisha) As an oldest child, Nooren was probably my favorite. I loved that I could understand the thoughts of the other sisters without the perspective shifting. I loved the short poems/sections where we read reflections from their parents. I loved how thoughtful this story is with the lessons, emotions and thoughts one may have as we age.
The only thing I did not like was the structure of the book. One of the chapters in particular was very long and I think a break/common stopping point would've helped maintain the flow/interest for me.
Overall, a great read that I would recommend to others. Some content warnings include death, sexual assault, and child neglect. Thankful to netgalley for the ARC!
The writing is absolutely the best part of this book. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest sister (Kausar) and we watch her grow up as the book progresses. The special part is the writing evolves and ages as the narrator continues to age. Even when the narrator is at her/their youngest, the writing is childlike but not childish. I enjoyed the characters, specifically the other sisters (Nooren and Aisha) As an oldest child, Nooren was probably my favorite. I loved that I could understand the thoughts of the other sisters without the perspective shifting. I loved the short poems/sections where we read reflections from their parents. I loved how thoughtful this story is with the lessons, emotions and thoughts one may have as we age.
The only thing I did not like was the structure of the book. One of the chapters in particular was very long and I think a break/common stopping point would've helped maintain the flow/interest for me.
Overall, a great read that I would recommend to others. Some content warnings include death, sexual assault, and child neglect. Thankful to netgalley for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Death, Racism, and Sexual assault
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