Reviews

Refuge by Dina Nayeri

millefjalland's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.5

ellenjoannecampbell's review against another edition

4.0

This is relatively recent history, the diaspora from Iran. The focus is on the father-daughter relationship and the struggles of readjustment. The flavours of the foods and the poetry of the nation shine through.

rietbelmans's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

kansel512's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

rcleister's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

ryner's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

Having fled Iran with her mother many years ago after her mother was persecuted for her religious beliefs, Niloofar lived as a refugee in Oklahoma as a child, but went on to excel in school and earn degrees from prestigious institutions. In the intervening decades, Niloo has seen her father just a handful of times, but finds herself ashamed of his old-world habits and vices. Now married to a French national and herself a university professor in Amsterdam, Niloo on a whim attends a local Farsi poetry night frequented by fellow Iranian ex-pats and refugees, a decision which ultimately threatens to upend the life she has built for herself.

This book gave me a greater and more thorough appreciation for the internal struggles refugees contend with, even long after immigration, resettlement and the building of a successful and stable new life — troubling thoughts and lifelong psychological insecurities frequently remain. I enjoyed the writing and grew fond of the characters, though I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, feeling unsure and unconvinced that everyone was going to be OK. It's possible I just didn't read enough into the text, but an additional reassuring sentence or two would have helped me. Overall, recommended.

readingrandbow's review

slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

thesubtlelibrarian's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

3.5

kdominey's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

i am a sucker for literary prose that makes ordinariness seem beautiful and magical and mysterious. there are lines in this novel i read over and over, ingesting and savoring and holding on to their beauty. 

the most important aspect of a book for me is how it made me feel - or whether or not it made me feel. let me tell ya, i felt! sadness to my bones, a heaviness in my heart, empty and whole

how do we both nurture and savor our past selves while also allow ourselves to become and change? how do we manage to leave behind our lives in the country we are born and not want to nurture and explore that part of ourselves even in our new country with our new life? how do we understand the sacrifices a parent may or may not be willing to make for their children? how do we forgive? 

where do we find refuge when every part of us feels lost?

“and photos were paper, images from a life he no longer lived. they were stray sparks from a fire too far away to offer warmth.”

“when you learn to release that first great windfall after the long migration, when you trust that you’ll still be you in a year or a decade, even without the treasures you’ve picked up along the way, always capable of more - when you stop carrying it all on your back - maybe that’s when the refugee years end.”