Reviews

Gate of the Sun: Bab Al-Shams by Elias Khoury

mmtorrice's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Rambling. Unfocused. A true slog.

ashipley's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

4.5

restoration48's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

kiannavs's review

a little too slow for me. also not much of a plot or direction.

wholewheatbiscy's review

challenging slow-paced

5.0

superzygote's review

3.0

This novel was full of stories -- funny, fascinating, and heartbreaking -- that I am told the author gleaned from his interviews and work with Palestinians over the course of his career as a writer. However, I'm embarrassed to say that I was simply too ignorant of the historical backdrop of the novel to really have a feel for what was going on from one flashback memory to the next. Perhaps I should read up on history first and then give this book another shot.

adele_courge's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

This was a challenging book but I'm very glad I read it. The slow pace, the length, and the disjointed storytelling made it a bit of a struggle to get through. But this tale of Palestinian exil is so rich. There's such beautiful moments in there, so much tragedy, so much anger, especially considering that this long history of displacement and cleansing is still ongoing. Spoiler alert, there's no happy ending here. 

ryeo's review against another edition

1.0

حكايا كثيرة عن الآلام الفلسيطينية، عن التهجير والمخيمات.. عن يونس وخليل وشمس ونهيلة....
لكن سرد الياس أرهقني وما فتئت الحكايا تتمدد وتتكرر

lindentea's review against another edition

I actually want to keep reading this and it’s really well-written but i can feel it ACTIVELY putting me into a reading slump :( sorry but i might pick it back up at another point!!

halftimelord's review

challenging emotional 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

4.0

The stories this book tells are heartbreaking and important, and (as someone who doesn't know much about the history of Palestine and the region) gives an insight into half a century of history through individual people and their lives. 

This is a complex book and at first the jumping between stories, timelines and characters was quite confusing and difficult to read, but after a while I got into the stream of consciousnesses narrative. The book uses this technique to explore themes of memory and storytelling, without taking away too much from the bigger picture and overall story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War