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mid_reads_books's review against another edition
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
4.5
After having been displaced in 1948, Salma and Hussam try to begin a new life in Nablus. Now, it's 1963 and things are about to change again. Salma foresees a troubled future for her daughter and as the years pass, we see this prophecy unfold.
We follow four generations of the Yacoub family as they tread through life, surrounded by wars and political turmoil. The trauma of not having a country, a land to attach yourself to is passed from parents to children, each mile away from Palestine distancing them more and more from that aspect of their identity until it becomes vital to figure out where and what Home is.
Salt Houses, with its beautiful writing, feels like a painting. It strikes a perfect balance between the act of rooting the story in a historical context through atmospheric details and exploring the characters' thoughts in that context.
The author really took the time to build each character and make them unique while also highlighting the ways in which they all shape each other's story. The book explores a lot of important topics, especially around grief; how it affects family, marriage, friendship but also parenthood and faith.
While I felt like most of the characters in this story were very well written, I wish we'd had more time with Alia. She is one, if not THE most complex character here but I felt like she was portrayed in a somewhat stereotyped and negative way. I really wish there'd been more of her seen through her own lens.
This was such an amazing read and it's also a book that could be helpful when learning about the history of Palestine. If you're not familiar with it, this book can be a starting point to prompt your researches.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Hala Alyan's work, especially her poetry. If you have suggestions for what I should try next, let me know!
We follow four generations of the Yacoub family as they tread through life, surrounded by wars and political turmoil. The trauma of not having a country, a land to attach yourself to is passed from parents to children, each mile away from Palestine distancing them more and more from that aspect of their identity until it becomes vital to figure out where and what Home is.
Salt Houses, with its beautiful writing, feels like a painting. It strikes a perfect balance between the act of rooting the story in a historical context through atmospheric details and exploring the characters' thoughts in that context.
The author really took the time to build each character and make them unique while also highlighting the ways in which they all shape each other's story. The book explores a lot of important topics, especially around grief; how it affects family, marriage, friendship but also parenthood and faith.
While I felt like most of the characters in this story were very well written, I wish we'd had more time with Alia. She is one, if not THE most complex character here but I felt like she was portrayed in a somewhat stereotyped and negative way. I really wish there'd been more of her seen through her own lens.
This was such an amazing read and it's also a book that could be helpful when learning about the history of Palestine. If you're not familiar with it, this book can be a starting point to prompt your researches.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Hala Alyan's work, especially her poetry. If you have suggestions for what I should try next, let me know!
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
emily_koopmann's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
morgan_is_reading's review against another edition
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
4.5
careinthelibrary's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
I didn't love all the characters' perspectives, but some of them I loved with my whole heart. They all contributed to the beautiful, complex tapestry that is this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Gun violence
hi97's review
challenging
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
4.0
Parallel lives, she sometimes thinks. It was a matter of parallel lives, one person having lamb for supper, the other cucumbers. With fate deciding, at random, which was which.
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.
thehellboundreader's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
frog_appreciator's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
intensely emotional and beautiful, i felt so attached to everyone and cried at the end. the one thing that icked me out was adults once referring to a 5 year olds voice as sultry and a fertile? scent of a teenage boy. that made me quite uncomfy but the rest of it was a sweeping saga about one family and their lives