Reviews

Jeg klarer ikke av denne typ av bok for tiden. Den er klatterfull av navn og steder, som neppe gir noe til selve fortellingen. Etter å nettopp ha lest "Minor Detail" av Adania Shibli blir jeg bara kraftigt irritert. Det må være urettferdig å sammenligne de to, men etter at ha opplevd et så "rent" verk, uten unødvendig platter så har jeg ikke tålmodighet for denne kakafonien.
Att på til er den full av fotnoter. Ass, å ha én enkelte fotnot her og der går vel ann, men å måtte slå i boken som om jeg leste faglitteratur, nei, jeg vil få ut noe annet fra mine skjønnlitterære opplevelser.

nmia's review against another edition

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3.0

Some parts went over my head and some parts where possibly lost in translation. The book was difficult to follow.

_kmao_'s review

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funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.5

bookiss's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

sandy1995's review

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challenging lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

4.0

figgylove's review

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5.0

I plan to reread. Definitely missed some references here and there, but the notes page in the back is helpful. Part satire, part sci-fi, part comedy, part tragedy. Fascinating to trace Saeed's journey as a citizen of Israel reckoning with his identity as a Palestinian refugee. His observations about the Israeli occupation of Palestine move seamlessly between blunt critique and satirical metaphor. Elements of sci-fi and fantasy, like the continued reference to Saeed's abduction by aliens, forces the reader to engage with the apocalyptic conditions Palestinians face everyday, and the transformation of a once familiar land into an oppressive, and unrecognizable, apartheid nation. I wonder if any Afro-Futurist writers have drawn inspiration from this text, and vice versa. So much depth and nuance in such a short book. I wish I knew Arabic so I could read the original text - things are always, very literally, lost in translation. I look forward to revisiting this, and am grateful to my friend Zahir for lending me his copy. I hope to read more work by Emile Habiby this year.

dezthereader's review

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dark lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

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