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1.82k reviews for:

Salt Houses

Hala Alyan

4.2 AVERAGE

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense
informative inspiring sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character

3.8

Can we have decimal ratings already in Goodreads?
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: Yes

The author reads the audio version and it is special and good. 
challenging 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: Complicated
challenging reflective medium-paced

There was a really well-delivered message of intergenerational trauma and displacement. I would have loved it if the first 100 pages were 300 pages, I think the story was missing detail. However, I understand the message would not have been as clearly delivered if she had only told the first few stories.
I was disenchanted with the latter 2/3rds of the book because I felt that the characters lost depth as the story progressed and the relationships became more strained. The relationship strain upset me but I can see why that was also necessary.
SpoilerBut! I loved how the letters were discovered by the grandchildren and the moment between them and Atef.
challenging emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced