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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I usually don’t like books that switch POVs because i end up preferring one persons POV and skimming the others, but because the timeline was so vast it was actually so interesting to switch and see that character grow up so much in their chapter. Overall this book surprised me and I found I enjoyed it more as I read, but it did have some slow bits and wasn’t a life changing story, just a very realistic representation of the effects of colonialism across multiple generations.
A solid read - with inter generational story lines and different locations. Willing to recommend as a great read in 2018.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local library. Support your libraries! All opinions are my own.
Book: Salt Houses
Author: Hala Alyan
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Palestinian Muslim MCs and characters, Indian characters, Kuwaiti Muslim MCs and characters
Recommended For...: Adult readers, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, War, Palestine, Contemporary
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Relevance: 18+ (Religion, Parental Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, War, Genocide, Violence, Gore, Torture, Sexual Content, Rape, Sibling Death, PTSD, Postpartum Depression and Anger, Alcohol Consumption, Racism, Alcoholism, Parental Abandonment, Disapora)
Explanation of CWs: There are multiple scenes of grief, death, parental death, and sibling death. Pregnancy and miscarriage are shown. The book features scenes and discussions about the Islamic religion. There are scenes discussing and showing war, violence, torture, blood and body gore, and genocide. There is some sexual content and a scene with rape. PTSD and Postpartum Depression and Anger are shown. There is a couple of scenes involving alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Racism is shown and discussed. Parental Abandonment is mentioned. Diaspora (the dispersion of this family from their home in Palestine) is shown and discussed throughout the book.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Marjorie
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 312
Synopsis: On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967. Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities. Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.
Review: I really liked this book! This book focuses on one family throughout many generations in the Middle East area. There's talk and discussion about Israeli forces, both back in the 60s and into the 2010s. The book is multi-POV, skipping a couple of decades each time to jump to a new family member to increase the story. The book had distinct voices in each of the POVs. My favorite part of the book is how well it told the story of grief for family, land, and time. I thought it had great world building and character development as well.
My only issue is that it's a little funky to get into at first but then after it's such a good read. There's also a lot of bulk to each chapter and I felt sometimes some stuff was just fluff, but it was very well done overall.
Verdict: It was an eye-opening book and I would love to see more people talk about it. Highly recommend!
Book: Salt Houses
Author: Hala Alyan
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Palestinian Muslim MCs and characters, Indian characters, Kuwaiti Muslim MCs and characters
Recommended For...: Adult readers, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, War, Palestine, Contemporary
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Relevance: 18+ (Religion, Parental Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, War, Genocide, Violence, Gore, Torture, Sexual Content, Rape, Sibling Death, PTSD, Postpartum Depression and Anger, Alcohol Consumption, Racism, Alcoholism, Parental Abandonment, Disapora)
Explanation of CWs: There are multiple scenes of grief, death, parental death, and sibling death. Pregnancy and miscarriage are shown. The book features scenes and discussions about the Islamic religion. There are scenes discussing and showing war, violence, torture, blood and body gore, and genocide. There is some sexual content and a scene with rape. PTSD and Postpartum Depression and Anger are shown. There is a couple of scenes involving alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Racism is shown and discussed. Parental Abandonment is mentioned. Diaspora (the dispersion of this family from their home in Palestine) is shown and discussed throughout the book.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Marjorie
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 312
Synopsis: On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967. Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities. Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.
Review: I really liked this book! This book focuses on one family throughout many generations in the Middle East area. There's talk and discussion about Israeli forces, both back in the 60s and into the 2010s. The book is multi-POV, skipping a couple of decades each time to jump to a new family member to increase the story. The book had distinct voices in each of the POVs. My favorite part of the book is how well it told the story of grief for family, land, and time. I thought it had great world building and character development as well.
My only issue is that it's a little funky to get into at first but then after it's such a good read. There's also a lot of bulk to each chapter and I felt sometimes some stuff was just fluff, but it was very well done overall.
Verdict: It was an eye-opening book and I would love to see more people talk about it. Highly recommend!
emotional
reflective
Salt Houses tells the story of four generations. This story elicited so much emotion as I read it. This family endured so much pain, yet there was still so much love.
The book focuses primarily on the loss of identity and the displacement that war wracks upon the family. The writer wrote each character so well. They were all so distinct, and yet each generation tied back to the previous in some way. Riham clung to her faith similarly to her grandmother Salma. Alia and Souad clashed, yet favored each other so deeply.
The reader really gets to know the family. A personal favorite character was Atef. His character was so loving and patient, especially with his family. And his letters to Mustafa. The sorrow he bore all on his own broke my heart.
The writing was so lyrical and beautiful. The end made me cry so much. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced