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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Great book overall. The writing was beautiful and striking in many places. I realized while reading it that, as a Black person, I, like the author, who is a person of color, have often felt “othered” by white Americans, as if I didn’t belong here. The realization infuriated me because my family — like numerous Black families — has been here in America for several generations — as far back as the late 1700’s; so many of us have history here that extends further back than a lot of white families, but we have been made to feel like this is not our home.
this book should be required reading. i found myself wanting to read the entire book aloud to my parents (and literally anyone else) who claims that america used to be different than the turmoil we’ve experienced in the last few years. (spoiler, it wasn’t.) and yet it was so much more than that, exploring identity both in this country and between family members. incredibly done.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Constructed as a memoir, it's a testament to the author that at times I found myself forgetting this was actually a novel. I don't know how much of the story is biographical and how much is fabrication, but there was little I found myself questioning as we delved into the lives of these people.
Since it is written in the form of a memoir it is filled with essays and while there is an overarching story, the story doesn't seem to be the point. It's the individual conversations and emotions elicited that really stand out. There are a ton of different ideologies and ideas that are sprinkled throughout this novel that are interesting to think about and would be great discussion topics for a book club.
Unfortunately, there are couple of things that I can't really get over that severely dampened my enjoyment. There were just too many instances in the novel that I think were supposed to be humanizing that just came across as self indulgent and off-putting. The easiest of which to criticize are the sexcapades, which were graphic and just left a bad taste in my mouth. Beyond the sexcapades there are a bunch of phallic references and a pretty overt oedipal complex that just I didn't jive with. There is also a forced mysticism with dream premonitions, which felt out of place with the rest of the harsh realities discussed.
Since it is written in the form of a memoir it is filled with essays and while there is an overarching story, the story doesn't seem to be the point. It's the individual conversations and emotions elicited that really stand out. There are a ton of different ideologies and ideas that are sprinkled throughout this novel that are interesting to think about and would be great discussion topics for a book club.
Unfortunately, there are couple of things that I can't really get over that severely dampened my enjoyment. There were just too many instances in the novel that I think were supposed to be humanizing that just came across as self indulgent and off-putting. The easiest of which to criticize are the sexcapades, which were graphic and just left a bad taste in my mouth. Beyond the sexcapades there are a bunch of phallic references and a pretty overt oedipal complex that just I didn't jive with. There is also a forced mysticism with dream premonitions, which felt out of place with the rest of the harsh realities discussed.
Welp, reading this was an all-day affair, but I couldn't pull myself away. Part of my determination was to avoid embarrassment at book club later this week (eek!) but also this is difficult to put down.
Most immediate for me was the realization that I haven't spent much time thinking about the impact of 9/11 given how young I was at the time. There was something so perversely fascinating, almost voyeuristic, about reading a fictionalized family history tethered to Pakistan's independence and 9/11.
Focusing on the book itself, it's an immersive read, in part due to Akhtar's extensive vocabulary, cheeky footnotes, and critical character development. Some figures loom larger than life within the text, notably Sikander Akhtar, Ayad's renowned cardiologist father who harbors a deep reverence for Donald Trump, and Riaz Rind, a Pakistani American hedge fund founder who takes an unexpected interest in Akhtar.
The book club had much to discuss and the text drew a number of lively discussions. Heartily recommend!
Most immediate for me was the realization that I haven't spent much time thinking about the impact of 9/11 given how young I was at the time. There was something so perversely fascinating, almost voyeuristic, about reading a fictionalized family history tethered to Pakistan's independence and 9/11.
Focusing on the book itself, it's an immersive read, in part due to Akhtar's extensive vocabulary, cheeky footnotes, and critical character development. Some figures loom larger than life within the text, notably Sikander Akhtar, Ayad's renowned cardiologist father who harbors a deep reverence for Donald Trump, and Riaz Rind, a Pakistani American hedge fund founder who takes an unexpected interest in Akhtar.
The book club had much to discuss and the text drew a number of lively discussions. Heartily recommend!
GLT 2021 Book Club Challenge
12. A book about an historical event in your lifetime
39.A book related to an Arab country
/
Pop Sugar 2021 Reading Challenge - Book by a Muslim American Author
12. A book about an historical event in your lifetime
39.A book related to an Arab country
/
Pop Sugar 2021 Reading Challenge - Book by a Muslim American Author
GLT 2021 Book Club Challenge
12. A book about an historical event in your lifetime
39.A book related to an Arab country
/
Pop Sugar 2021 Reading Challenge - Book by a Muslim American Author
12. A book about an historical event in your lifetime
39.A book related to an Arab country
/
Pop Sugar 2021 Reading Challenge - Book by a Muslim American Author
This book is brilliant and confusing and required me to look up more words than I have had to in a looooong time. I appreciated the riff on Hillbilly Elegy, and thought this was much better. The author is clearly super talented.