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katsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
“Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope.”
“But in Syria there is a saying: inside the person you know, there is a person you do not know.”
“Sometimes we create such powerful illusions, so that we do not get lost in the darkness.”
“When you belong to someone and they are gone, who are you?”
This was a beautifully written novel. I really loved the format. Each chapter was split into two timelines and the transition happened literally mid-sentence. It was a super interesting way to format. The beginning of each chapter followed the main character and his wife in their current timeline as refugees seeking asylum in England and the end of every chapter recounted part of their journey from Syria. This story was so heart-breaking and intense. This is one of the few novels that made me genuinely cry. Nuri and Afra's journey was traumatic in so many ways and they way the author explored that was incredibly compelling. In her author's note, she wrote that she sought to answer the question "What does it mean to see?" While Nuri is the narrator, both he and his wife's narratives both explore that question. The novel really looks at what both Nuri and Afra "see" and how it affects their relationship. Afra is blind for most of the story and figuring out what caused her blindness is a major plot point. With Nuri, he sees things that make the reader question if they're real or not. I won't spoil anything but figuring out what Nuri is seeing (and if it is real) is also a major plot point. I found it to be a very interesting theme and I'll be thinking about it for a while.
“But in Syria there is a saying: inside the person you know, there is a person you do not know.”
“Sometimes we create such powerful illusions, so that we do not get lost in the darkness.”
“When you belong to someone and they are gone, who are you?”
This was a beautifully written novel. I really loved the format. Each chapter was split into two timelines and the transition happened literally mid-sentence. It was a super interesting way to format. The beginning of each chapter followed the main character and his wife in their current timeline as refugees seeking asylum in England and the end of every chapter recounted part of their journey from Syria. This story was so heart-breaking and intense. This is one of the few novels that made me genuinely cry. Nuri and Afra's journey was traumatic in so many ways and they way the author explored that was incredibly compelling. In her author's note, she wrote that she sought to answer the question "What does it mean to see?" While Nuri is the narrator, both he and his wife's narratives both explore that question. The novel really looks at what both Nuri and Afra "see" and how it affects their relationship. Afra is blind for most of the story and figuring out what caused her blindness is a major plot point. With Nuri, he sees things that make the reader question if they're real or not. I won't spoil anything but figuring out what Nuri is seeing (and if it is real) is also a major plot point. I found it to be a very interesting theme and I'll be thinking about it for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
Minor: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
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