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sarahrandall's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Blood, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, and Rape
mickdoor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: War, Sexual violence, Genocide, Murder, and Sexual assault
fionafsw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Part I was understatement done to absolute perfection. The austerity of the writing and lack of embellishment highlighted the author's mastery of creating scenes and tension. The feeling of vague foreboding never goes away, even as you wonder what it is exactly that you are worried about. At the end of Part I, I could see why the book had won an award.
Part II was written in such a vastly different voice and style, it was like being splashed with cold water. It was hard to believe I was still reading the same book by the same author. The voice was jarring, discordant and stressful to listen to. Narrated in first person, you never get much context or detail or explanation; instead, you get submerged in what feels like neurosis.
At first, this annoyed me. There goes that rave 5-star review, I thought. I missed the sober calm tone and pace of Part I, even as horrible atrocities are being committed. I thought the author had missed the mark completely in the second act.
Then I read some reviews and realised that this was intentional (duh). The permanent panic, fear, indecisiveness, and sense of whether you're losing your mind are some of the effects of wiping out a country off the map, renaming places, rewriting memories, and erasing an entire people. There is loss of everything, not just of land but of collective history and memory. Nakba was and continues to be a severance that has untethered the Palestinian people.
This 'catastrophe', this tragedy, this trauma, this illegal displacement, this ethnic cleansing, this genocide of the Palestinian people - this is history that continues to play out today, over 75 years later, in as violent and unconscionable a way as never before. Israel and its supporters, shame on you. And to those of us sitting at home in countries supplying Israel with money and arms to carry out this genocide, too lazy, apathetic or afraid to speak up and do something, we are complicit, and we have blood on our hands. Shame on us.
Coincidentally, Nakba Day is on the same day as the anniversary of my dad's death. And coincidentally, the central event of the book, the day that so grips our Part II protagonist, not least because she was born 25 years later to the day, is my birthday.
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Murder, and Rape
teaselkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Murder, War, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
noella19's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Poetic.
That ending broke me. Not sure what I expected but still I didn’t want that.
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, War, Rape, Xenophobia, and Torture
mangoh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sometimes it’s inevitable for the past to be forgotten, especially if the present is no less horrific
Graphic: Rape and War
Moderate: Death
maddiereadswords's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, War, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Murder, Racism, and Rape
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Sexual assault, War, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Animal death, and Torture
judah_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, War, Rape, and Sexual violence
lilaceous's review against another edition
- 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
tough read. i had to put it down at one point because it was so visceral and upsetting. i’m still thinking about the main protagonist days later. if you’re looking for palestinian stories of israeli occupation, this is definitely an impactful one.
Graphic: War, Child abuse, Rape, Death, Sexual violence, Gore, Gun violence, Body horror, Colonisation, and Sexual assault