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spicycronereads's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a really beautiful read. The story follows four generations of a family who have been displaced from their home in Palestine. They are first displaced from Jaffa to Nablus a few years before the narrative begins in 1966 (Nablus had been annexed by Jordan several years earlier). We see the subsequent generations of the family as they move to Kuwait, and then Beirut and to the US, and back, basically moving from one scene of war and displacement to the next. It’s a beautiful story about their family, but you also see the larger social forces at work in terms of the relationship between Israel and Arab states, and the hopes for help from, but ultimate ineffectiveness of, the UN and the United States (and sometimes much more active influence of the US). It’s heartbreaking.
The writing is lyrical. The characters have dimension. It’s a little bit hard to chart character development, because the narrative does move between POVs so much. There are only two characters who have more than one chapter. But through their interactions with the family throughout the book, we see the various characters grow and change.
You can’t read this book and not come away with the sense that the world has failed the Palestinian people.
The writing is lyrical. The characters have dimension. It’s a little bit hard to chart character development, because the narrative does move between POVs so much. There are only two characters who have more than one chapter. But through their interactions with the family throughout the book, we see the various characters grow and change.
You can’t read this book and not come away with the sense that the world has failed the Palestinian people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual assault and Self harm
Minor: Torture
apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Following 5 generations of the Yacoub family, we begin with Salma, the matriarch of the Yacoub family, on the eve of her daughter Alia's wedding to Atif. Salma read the dregs of Alia's tea cup, and sees a hard life, full of instability, loss, and uncertainty. Not wanting to ruin the beautiful wedding, Salma keeps this from her daughter. Shortly following the wedding, the Six Day War of 1967 breaks out; Atif and Salma's son, Mustafa, remain behind to fight.
This is merely the beginning of frequent uprooting, uncertainty, loss, and trauma for the Yacoub family. We follow their movements from the beginning of thr Six Day War, all the way to the near lresent day of 2014 where the Middle East is still in perpetual conflict. Each generation of the Yacoub family through one way or another is sent into exile from what they have come to know as their home, although each character mentions they have no real concept of home or belonging. They are refugees before they are born, and their children inherit their trauma and loss without anyone truly realizing at the time.
The way Alyan crafts such well rounded characters made me want to hug them, hit them, scream at them, comfort them all at the same time. They were real people; complicated but trying their best under the circumstances of their heritage and birth through no wrong doing on their part. Each generation became more and more separated from their lives and connection to Palestine. At times, the younger generations attempt to explain their ethnicity and home country to American or European friends, but they don't understand. How can you be one thing if you've never been there, and you're not this thing even thought you were born there? Each generation was an excellent example of no matter how hard you try, you can't escape your family and their past. The trauma of simply being Palestinian followed each member of the Yacoub family, even those born in Europe or America. They fall into the same patterns and mannerisms, all attempting to cope with never ending war and repeated displacement and never truly belonging for a number of reasons.
All in all, this was an excellent read about one family's generational trauma, but also their resilience and tenacity to overcome and return to their home, wherever that may be for them.
This is merely the beginning of frequent uprooting, uncertainty, loss, and trauma for the Yacoub family. We follow their movements from the beginning of thr Six Day War, all the way to the near lresent day of 2014 where the Middle East is still in perpetual conflict. Each generation of the Yacoub family through one way or another is sent into exile from what they have come to know as their home, although each character mentions they have no real concept of home or belonging. They are refugees before they are born, and their children inherit their trauma and loss without anyone truly realizing at the time.
The way Alyan crafts such well rounded characters made me want to hug them, hit them, scream at them, comfort them all at the same time. They were real people; complicated but trying their best under the circumstances of their heritage and birth through no wrong doing on their part. Each generation became more and more separated from their lives and connection to Palestine. At times, the younger generations attempt to explain their ethnicity and home country to American or European friends, but they don't understand. How can you be one thing if you've never been there, and you're not this thing even thought you were born there? Each generation was an excellent example of no matter how hard you try, you can't escape your family and their past. The trauma of simply being Palestinian followed each member of the Yacoub family, even those born in Europe or America. They fall into the same patterns and mannerisms, all attempting to cope with never ending war and repeated displacement and never truly belonging for a number of reasons.
All in all, this was an excellent read about one family's generational trauma, but also their resilience and tenacity to overcome and return to their home, wherever that may be for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Colonisation, Terminal illness, War, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Racism, Vomit, Alcohol, and Xenophobia
dragongirl271's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Dementia, War, Xenophobia, and Self harm
Minor: Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, and Domestic abuse
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