Reviews

There were some parts of this I really enjoyed, however for a short book it felt very long in some places. The author has some serious pacing issues - there's a lot of detail included that is really irrelevant in the big picture narrative, like copious amounts of physical description, repetition of standout facts I already knew as if they had never been said before. The last chapter was definitely the strongest, but I found myself disengaged for a good portion of the story in the lead up to this chapter. I also found the end jarring, with Bani mentioning he was writing this down.

I wish we also got more of Bani's personal thoughts. At times I felt like he was simply rattling off everything he could see and didn't talk about the ways he related to that picture. At times he feels like an narrator that is not actually present in the story. I did appreciate in some aspects you could really see where his family influenced his opinions and the ways he saw the world. However there was too many parts where he was simply narrating without a character voice.

However I do think the author achieved his intention - I just think he could've done it better.

messagevaleriek's review against another edition

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3.0

This was fine. Had it been longer, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. But as a slim volume it’s enjoyable enough. It tells the story of an Australian Muslim family in Sydney. The voice of the narrator, a child, is believable- and sometimes profound, as children can be. A lot of names to remember here, but the full cast of characters has you feeling as if you’re a part of this very big family, with all the associated highs and lows.

moniquemanike's review

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4.0

I read this in a couple of hours and enjoyed it. I have to agree with some of the critiques though around the language of the narrator and how unlike a 7 yr old/9 yr old/11 yr old he is.

“I’m scared to stare at the sun – if I look for too long I might be incinerated. It is a kind of respect forced upon us by nature” just doesn't seem like any of the 9 year olds I know.

I would be very interested in seeing the play that this work was turned into!

archytas's review

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4.0

A series of coming of age vignettes that add up to a satisfying whole. Ahmad explores childhood-to-adolescence years, the joys and perils of tight-knit communities, and the changing relationships children of extended families. I really wish I didn't have to point out that these stories of Australians who rarely get to read stories about themselves, but I do. Don't read it for that though - read it because this book is sweet, and nostalgic and will make you feel like a tween again.

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