Reviews

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

roastedbrusselsprouts's review

emotional reflective 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

hbeaupre23's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

3.75

soup37's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

Salt Houses made me feel so much (wow feelings? from a book? no way!), and a lot of those feelings were deep sadness and anger, of course, reading this right now in the middle of genocide against Palestinians, how else can you feel? I also felt a drive and hope, especially at the beginning, and then, as the stories unfolded, so much loss of that hope. Like each generation's removal from their home and cementing of trauma and longing in their blood blurred the possibility of revolution. And what a romantic notion I have of what happens in this circumstance. That, of course, we feel fear, but if you're not willingly sacrificing for a better world, a worse world is going to be forced upon you anyway, so you might as well fight. As if we don't have families and homes waiting for us and fruit markets to go to and love to give. Of course, fighting and staying is an act of love, and maybe so is preservation and leaving. I know this is missing something, I am missing something, and I cannot simply have it all understood for the book review. I still have so much to learn from this book and from Palestine and, Palestine should not have to be my teacher, Palestine should simply just be free.  

----

I didn't initially write anything after finishing this and now it's been a while so it's not as raw. I read this book with my Mom over the span of a few months. We both probably could have read it in a few days if we weren't intentionally having discussions every few chapters because it really pulls you in. I haven't read a book collaboratively in a long time so I think this was the first time since maybe high school that I've been actively thinking about themes and messages and what not, as opposed to just kind of having the story sink in and make me feel lots of things. That process made me want to immediately restart the book and witness everything with clearer eyes. My mom was angry with Atef by the end of the book, and there is something in me that continued to have such a forgiving and soft spot for him. But she challenged me on it and was certainly right. This is what's good about reading with other people. Your own father issues can't entirely cloud your perception of the book. Anyway, here we go again with a not book review so much as a personal reflection. This was so good to read with my mom and get to talk about Palestine and have on our minds constantly. If Palestine ever escaped for a moment it was so quickly brought back with the characters as they were being ingrained in my soul. We got to talk about wealth and giving up power and privilege and what it would mean to not live in comfort or to actively give it up for liberation. We talked about the false notion of "safety", the toll of generational trauma, the responsibility we have to others to address our own turmoils, and the hurdle that that is, especially when you're living through yanno...war. wars. Loss, longing, coping, love, care, hope, etc. 

blove0312's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

4.0

<i>What is a life? A series of yeses and noes, photographs you shove in a drawer somewhere, loves you think will save you but that cannot. Continuing to move, enduring, not stopping even when there is pain. That's all life is, he wants to tell her. It's continuing.</i>

At first I didn’t think I liked the jumps in time, believing I was losing a lot of detail, but I’ve found that it adds a depth to the story that otherwise each “chapter” doesn’t have on its own. 

Atef is without a doubt my most favorite. But they all had a story to tell, a war they lived through, a home(s) they lost; family they scorned, grew apart from and then back together. I’m not sure at what point it hit me, just how emotional the entire book is, but it packs a punch and leaves an ache behind, even with, or especially because of, the ending. 

Beautiful. Haunting. 

rpkamakura's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mymellowmania's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

meag116's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-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

4.0

a_shelf_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

kamelia_karam's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

erkane's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-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

3.5

Because I read this via audiobook it was sometimes harder to follow, which member of the family was the current POV.  But overall I’ve never read a book from a Palestinian author before, so it was good because it helped me understand their culture and family dynamics.  I would recommend reading to anyone.