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seawarrior's review
4.0
This is a gorgerously lyrical book about a family searching for home while met with insurmountable indifference by both the governments they fled from and towards, as seen through the eyes of their young daughter. Firuzeh is a wonderful narrator whose innocence and stubborness demand attention and empathy, and I was gripped by her story from beginning to end. Yu's language is precise, dreamlike and haunting. She ties the fates of her characters together to joyful and tragic effect, and weaves a story of relentless hope that holds power even in the family's grimmest moments. One of the greatest magical realism novels I have encountered so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Confinement, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide and Child death
Minor: Physical abuse
laurareads87'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? No
4.0
On Fragile Waves follows the lives of an Afghan family -- two parents and their two children -- as they journey from Afghanistan to Australia and find that the country is not welcoming and peaceful in the ways that they'd hoped or expected. From a precarious boat ride to immigration detention to sexual and racist harassment to the threat of deportation, the novel focuses on the precarity experienced by one family seeking safety and is not an easy read. I will say that I question the shelving of this book as 'fantasy,' and based on some of the reviews I expected a much more experimentally written book than I actually got. An infuriating and heartbreaking read; this doesn't read like a debut novel -- definitely recommend.
gender-based violence / intimate partner violence
gender-based violence / intimate partner violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, War, Child death, Death of parent, Suicide, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Domestic abuse
tree_branch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Racism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Cursing
larbster90's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
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
I don't cry at a lot of books, but I cried at this one. Excellent storytelling style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, Violence, Death, and War
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