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moonmisandrist's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
I saw the beauty too, of found family, of unbreakable familial bonds, of God and love, self-acceptance and love, of Sakr's origins as a poet feeling into the verse of this novel.
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racism, Homophobia, and Child abuse
Moderate: Police brutality and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcoholism
saint_eleanor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wanted to like it more than i did but i was kind of Tee’d up for a magical realism story and this really wasn’t that. Therefore i kept holding onto details that weren’t really relevant
It seemed very possibly autobiographical despite being a ‘novel’, about a young gay muslim man in diaspora from Lebanon living in Australia. Coming of age story fs.
It’s pretty sad but also not like devastating or anything just about the intricacies of family and religion and culture which of course are always hard. The ending is sweet and hopeful and you kind of just follow him as he grows up.
The author’s writing style is also lovely.
P.s. Omar Sakr is doing cool poetry/writing and stuff rn in support of Palestine and Lebanon so thats sick
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
graphic consensual sex, and like brief mention of incest, intense homophobia throughout the whole thingserendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
kellyung's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Islamophobia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Violence
scops_xyz's review
- 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
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death and Child abuse
thelibraryofalexandra's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Islamophobia and Sexual assault
jouljet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
starmerchant's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
nibs's review
- 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? Yes
4.25
You can tell this book is written by a poet. It is so carefully worded, with so much packed into some sentences in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it way. It felt like we were going back over Jamal's experiences with him. Reading about him as a bi man and seeing how queerness was viewed in the varying intersections of his cultures (Muslim expectations, Lebanese and Turkish cultures). Finding out what it was like in western Sydney at this time was really insightful - I'm a bit too young to know from the news. This is the kind of book I'd like to reread one day, it's so rich in detail.
I originally gave this 4 stars, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it. A week later I was thinking it should be 4.5 stars. I've concluded that I'll average it out to 4.25 stars.
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
bronte_bronte's review
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse and Homophobia