Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

9 reviews

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Islamophobia, Murder, Fatphobia, Medical content, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, War, Violence, and Torture

knaappers's review against another edition

3.75

“A story of palestinians without a palestine” Salt Houses follows a family though several generations from the 6 day war to present. A little slow at times, but a representation of the constant displacement of the palestinian people. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Sexual assault

sineadz's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Death, Xenophobia, Racism, War, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

robinks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved getting to walk with the Yacoub family through so many years, getting to see how each of them grows internally and in relationship to the others. I believe the fact that Hala is a clinical psychologist  allowed the characters to feel real. Also, there were many actual historical references that kept the story rooted in reality. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Dementia, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Terminal illness, Torture, and Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Rape, Murder, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Death of parent, War, Drug use, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Racial slurs, Alcohol, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

warlocksarecool21's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book left me in such a state that I can’t write a review as cohesively as I normally do but I will share what thoughts I can cobble together:

Salt Houses beautifully raw story about a Palestinian family spread across the world after the Six Day War in 1967. We follow four generations of this family as they grapple with the enormous loss of being forced to leave Palestine and have to continue their lives elsewhere. 

Hala Alyan’s writing is absolutely incredible, it’s lyrical and elegant and I underlined so many powerful quotes while reading. Through her captivating prose, Alyan is able to weave a story of four generations, centering on the relationships between mothers, and daughters and sisters. 

We see how they are impacted by Israel’s violence against their family and land for decades after and how the loss of their homeland shaped their lives. This is a story of loss and grief, but we also see these characters in their most tangibly human moments. They grow up, they find love, have children, get old. There is sorrow but there is also joy and love. 

Each member of the family carries the memory of Palestine with them in a different way, they are shaped by it but each of their lives takes a different path. I found myself attached to each character for different reasons, they were all so vivid and human I couldn’t help but be drawn in. Even if I disliked particular characters I was fascinated by them and resonated with their messiness and imperfections. 

Salt Houses is such an incredibly impactful story about life, loss and family and I urge everyone to read it. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Minor: War, Violence, Genocide, and Fatphobia

jackie_marion's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and War

Moderate: Islamophobia and Pregnancy

Minor: Toxic relationship

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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: Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Genocide, Murder, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Torture, Body shaming, and Racial slurs

salemander's review against another edition

5.0

such a beautiful and profound book spanning generations with perfectly flawed narrators. the heartbreak and trauma of this family and the countless Palestinian families who have faced genocide at the hands of Israel is so well illustrated throughout this book. from the river to the sea. always. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Colonisation, Genocide, Islamophobia, Rape, Racism, Death, and War

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My second book from Alyan and loved it! Her writing style and characters are always beautifully done with lyrical prose. I enjoyed the switching POVs going through time from the 60s to 2014 as we follow one family. Alyan will definitely be an auto buy author for me!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Dementia

Moderate: Sexual content, Genocide, and Body shaming

Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Racism