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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
This was a really great story, but the audio quality made it a bit hard to listen to (there was an airiness/low hum in the background). I'm sure it's fine for most people, but if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, I'd recommend the physical/e-book version, as it is very much worth reading!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This tells the story of 4 generations of a Palestinian family over the span of 50 years of conflict with Israel. You'd think that a premise like this would be so compelling, but I honestly found it lacking. The decades of conflict is secondary to the livings of the Yacoub family, and chapters are told from alternating POVs of different family members and usually at a different time and place. Hala Alyan succeeds in portraying a normal Palestinian family and doesn't bring politics or immigration to the center. Everyone deals with very normal ups and downs. However, this takes away from the narrative drive, especially when a setting like this could bring so much drama. The writing is beautiful and you can tell that Alyan is also a poet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Dementia
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
such a heartwarming yet at the same time heartbreaking book! the epilogue broke my heart… loved the change in povs throughout the various generations of this family and how different yet similar they were. and of course a devastating backstory…
This book is heartbreaking and lovely and tragic and so incredibly beautiful.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I liked the premise of the story, but could not connect to the characters. The constantly changing narrator was confusing, and there were too many similarities between them to keep them all straight. I would have liked this more if the characters had a bit more depth.
emotional
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
Story that stretches between and within generations. Important and literary.
emotional
reflective
slow-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
I was hesitant about the format of this book - the way it skips through time and hops between narrators - but something about it just really, really works. It captured the complex emotions that come with being repeatedly displaced beautifully and it gives the reader a lot to ponder without being overly suggestive or pushy. I also found the family dynamics realistic and relatable, grounding the story in a way that makes it more digestible when so much of the content was otherwise new to me.
It covers a lot of heavy themes that seem like they are often ignored, because it's simply easier not to think about them if they aren't happening to us. Definitely a 5 star read.
It covers a lot of heavy themes that seem like they are often ignored, because it's simply easier not to think about them if they aren't happening to us. Definitely a 5 star read.