Reviews

I Am Ariel Sharon by Yara El-Ghadban

nuhafariha's review against another edition

3.0

Thank you to House of Anansi Press for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

If you aren't familiar with the history of Ariel Sharon, the 11th Prime Minister of Israel, I would recommend doing a brief search just to help follow along the narrative in this extremely lyrical, fast paced & prosaic novel. Told in fragments, "I am Ariel Sharon" attempts to reconstruct the life of a man through the perspectives of his loved ones, including his mother, Vera, who is a refuge and his two wives, Lily and Gali. It's a taut read that delves into the complexities of life in Gaza's West Bank, the contradictions of being a Zionist on a refugee land, of settler colonialism and its impact on human life. If anything, I was entranced by Yara El-Ghabdan's light poetic language in direct contrast to the gruesome subject matter, making the latter all the more poignant and timely.

drawmeabookreview's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.0

acweber's review

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

literaryinfatuation's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0