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kai_tjong's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
jjohnsonblalock's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
rkkmistry's review against another edition
5.0
dang!! this makes me so nostalgic for Abu Dhabi !! I really miss that place...
really tho this book had me thinking a lot about the the idea of the "novel" vs a collection of short stories. like this book is billed as a novel even though it's filled with quite heterogenous content (i mean they almost all sort of speak to an indian-origin experience in the the UAE, but beyond that there really aren't recurring characters and many of the stories feel like they happen in different worlds). That being said, it really does work and it does feel like there are these conceptual or place-based concerns that really tie everything together. really tho I almost want to say that perhaps this is the only way to represent AD given that it is a place that is filled with such a diversity of experiences...obviously that's true of every city, but in AD I feel like it is truly different worlds depending on where you're coming from. the result is that the author's really diverse use of style ends up sort of mimicking that dislocation as you move between different types of experiences. very dope
really tho this book had me thinking a lot about the the idea of the "novel" vs a collection of short stories. like this book is billed as a novel even though it's filled with quite heterogenous content (i mean they almost all sort of speak to an indian-origin experience in the the UAE, but beyond that there really aren't recurring characters and many of the stories feel like they happen in different worlds). That being said, it really does work and it does feel like there are these conceptual or place-based concerns that really tie everything together. really tho I almost want to say that perhaps this is the only way to represent AD given that it is a place that is filled with such a diversity of experiences...obviously that's true of every city, but in AD I feel like it is truly different worlds depending on where you're coming from. the result is that the author's really diverse use of style ends up sort of mimicking that dislocation as you move between different types of experiences. very dope
ajlct's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of short stories set in United Arab Emirates, primarily among the guest workers who make up a majority of the population of the UAE, and have made their lives there, but who know they someday must leave. The stories are surreal and discombobulating and clever; I appreciated them more than I enjoyed them. Unnikrishnan is a talented writer, but often in these stories, the cleverness overrides the emotional depth.
In the opening story, workers fall from the skyscrapers they are building, landing injured in construction sites all over Abu Dhabi. A woman rides out every night on her bicycle and reassembles the workers, reattaching limbs and patching holes so that they can return to work in the morning. In Mushtibushi, children in a large apartment building believe that the elevator is a monster who needs appeasement, to explain a series of molestations. And in a few stories, the roaches take center stage, whether in a boy's desperate attempts to keep them at bay, or in the story of a roach outcast and how he becomes the leader of the roaches.
None of the stories are comfortable or fun, but despite the surrealism, they do paint a vivid picture of what life is like for guest workers and their families in the UAE.
In the opening story, workers fall from the skyscrapers they are building, landing injured in construction sites all over Abu Dhabi. A woman rides out every night on her bicycle and reassembles the workers, reattaching limbs and patching holes so that they can return to work in the morning. In Mushtibushi, children in a large apartment building believe that the elevator is a monster who needs appeasement, to explain a series of molestations. And in a few stories, the roaches take center stage, whether in a boy's desperate attempts to keep them at bay, or in the story of a roach outcast and how he becomes the leader of the roaches.
None of the stories are comfortable or fun, but despite the surrealism, they do paint a vivid picture of what life is like for guest workers and their families in the UAE.
curiouslykaylee's review against another edition
2.0
This was a difficult one to rate. I picked it up not knowing much about it, and the synopsis didn’t tell me too much.
I enjoyed some of the stories. But too many were unnecessarily vulgar. The synopsis did mention that these stories were interconnected, but I only noticed a few chapters with connections. Overall it was a confusing read, though I acknowledge that may just be me.
I enjoyed some of the stories. But too many were unnecessarily vulgar. The synopsis did mention that these stories were interconnected, but I only noticed a few chapters with connections. Overall it was a confusing read, though I acknowledge that may just be me.
ragsrags's review against another edition
3.0
This is not an easy book to read. It's challenging for a number of reasons. I admire how the author doesn't shy away from probing into really disturbing, almost nauseating, narratives and premises. Kudos also to the agents, editors, and publishers who backed him and his stories.
I found the collection to ramble a bit, just be a little wayward in its focus. The stories that are on point resonate beautifully, so much so that I had to stop reading so I could savour what I had just read. The ones that feel like an afterthought, like they've been put in because they're vaguely tied to a broad theme of temporary people, are often the toughest and most boring to read.
I found the collection to ramble a bit, just be a little wayward in its focus. The stories that are on point resonate beautifully, so much so that I had to stop reading so I could savour what I had just read. The ones that feel like an afterthought, like they've been put in because they're vaguely tied to a broad theme of temporary people, are often the toughest and most boring to read.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
A 4.5 star, if we could give half stars.
This is a really striking collection of linked short stories, telling fable-like stories about the exploited workers imported to build the glittering skyline of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Workers turn into suitcases and passports to escape, a woman develops a talent for patching together the men who fall from skyscraper construction sites so that they don't die on company time or property, an elevator develops a shocking proclivity, and the roaches that invade the crumbling homes of workers start taking on human-like traits. "Dreamers" are caught between a country that won't acknowledge them as equal citizens and the families back home in India or beyond who depend on their paychecks. I had a bit of trouble understanding a few stories, but the overall collection is imaginative and devastating. It's a rough read. TW for a few scenes of sexual violence.
This is a really striking collection of linked short stories, telling fable-like stories about the exploited workers imported to build the glittering skyline of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Workers turn into suitcases and passports to escape, a woman develops a talent for patching together the men who fall from skyscraper construction sites so that they don't die on company time or property, an elevator develops a shocking proclivity, and the roaches that invade the crumbling homes of workers start taking on human-like traits. "Dreamers" are caught between a country that won't acknowledge them as equal citizens and the families back home in India or beyond who depend on their paychecks. I had a bit of trouble understanding a few stories, but the overall collection is imaginative and devastating. It's a rough read. TW for a few scenes of sexual violence.
bookherd's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book of short stories about guest workers from India in the United Arab Emirates. I'm not usually a fan of short stories--I like LONG books. I've never read short stories like these, though. Maybe I need to read more?
The stories range from lists of the jobs that guest workers in the UAE do, to a several chapter long story about a scientist who figures out how to grow guest workers as a crop, and what happens as a result. Some of the stories feel disturbingly detached, like the one about an American woman who tapes workers back together after they've been injured on the job. Other stories fairly pulsate with emotion, like the one about the young man who gets a job dressing as a clown to sell detergent. My favorite is a story about some cockroaches who teach themselves to speak and walk on two legs, wearing clothing, as the young boy in the apartment they inhabit attempts to kill them off. I couldn't help but think of the cockroach Archie from the Archie & Mehitabel poems.
The stories in this collection are unique and sometimes grotesque. I didn't expect to like them as much as I did.
The stories range from lists of the jobs that guest workers in the UAE do, to a several chapter long story about a scientist who figures out how to grow guest workers as a crop, and what happens as a result. Some of the stories feel disturbingly detached, like the one about an American woman who tapes workers back together after they've been injured on the job. Other stories fairly pulsate with emotion, like the one about the young man who gets a job dressing as a clown to sell detergent. My favorite is a story about some cockroaches who teach themselves to speak and walk on two legs, wearing clothing, as the young boy in the apartment they inhabit attempts to kill them off. I couldn't help but think of the cockroach Archie from the Archie & Mehitabel poems.
The stories in this collection are unique and sometimes grotesque. I didn't expect to like them as much as I did.