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mattyb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
This novel filled my heart with joy and with sorrow. The narrator expresses so much pain and sadness at times that I wanted to cry at her losses. Overall, it was a beautifully written story of a tragedy I am only just learning about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs
Minor: Violence and Blood
aargot1's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Confinement
Moderate: Gore and Colonisation
Children almost dyingchristiereads23's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Violence, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
The Night Diary is a journey. Both literally and emotionally. For such a small book, it carries a lot of weight.
First of all, Nisha. Our narrator, Nisha, is kind and sweet and quiet and hopeful and a little bit sad, too. The Night Diary is told through a journal format and made up of diary entries that Nisha writes to her mother. In these entries we see her fear, confusion, loneliness, joy, hope, excitement, regret… everything. The Night Diary is so filled with emotions. Nisha takes us along on her family’s pilgrimage as they migrate from newly created Pakistan to India. This book is intended for middle grade readers (ages 8 – 12) but as an adult, I found it accessible and engrossing. I’m also flabbergasted that this historical event was never touched upon in my education. One of oh-so-many ways Americans ignore the plights of the rest of the world, and how history is very white-centric.
It is worth mentioning that there are a few scenes in this book that may be a little unsettling. For one, there is a few moments of violence. Nisha is physically threatened. Their friend Kazi is injured early in the book. Near the end, fighting breaks out between a group of Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindu men and people are killed. Nisha watches all of this. I know in many middle grade novels this sort of violence would be frowned upon, but you must understand it’s important to The Night Diary. History is made of such unpleasantness, and to pretend otherwise is to belittle someone else’s pain in order to soothe our own discomfort. I think that the violence is an important part of telling an authentic story (The Night Diary is loosely based on Hiranandani’s father’s own pilgrimage). It would be up to parental discretion whether on not The Night Diary may be appropriate for their reader, but I personally think that this is the sort of book that ought to be taught in schools. I can think of so many other tired books that are still taught, and few feel as worthy or as relevant as The Night Diary.
Aside from the violence, Nisha’s family experience dehydration and hunger. They are threatened. They are degraded. The Night Diary is not a feel-good story. As I said at the start of this review – it is a journey. And a bit of a survival story, too. But Nisha, Amil, her father and grandmother have to survive humanity as well as nature.
I would, without a doubt, recommend this novel. I don’t feel like the heavier bits took anything away from the story – only added to it. The Night Diary is vibrant with life and filled with tantalizing descriptions of food and complicated relationships. I thought the ending was beautiful. I wish more stores similar to this one real life had such hopeful endings.
Regardless of your age, if you haven’t read The Night Diary, it’s an absolute-must read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Islamophobia
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