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gottarun31's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't love this book. But it's an important story to hear.
Syria has been in my mind in some form since 2015. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how it seems we've abandoned coverage/people don't seem to be talking about how there is a whole country wrecked and displaced. Millions of people's lives in limbo.
Death is Hard Work is about 3 adult children attempting to get their father's dead body across Syria amidst a horrific warring environment. I originally thought the title derived from that plotline. I felt like it more pointed to how there is a country full of people who are not scared of death anymore and are ready and waiting to die at any moment. The descriptions of the awful checkpoints, the torture, the raids, the bribery, etc. shine a light on how little we(I) comprehend what is going on. I will hopefully never have to be exposed to those conditions, but they are SO REAL for people in this world. This was a very important story to tell. Khalifa did a wonderful job.
Syria has been in my mind in some form since 2015. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how it seems we've abandoned coverage/people don't seem to be talking about how there is a whole country wrecked and displaced. Millions of people's lives in limbo.
Death is Hard Work is about 3 adult children attempting to get their father's dead body across Syria amidst a horrific warring environment. I originally thought the title derived from that plotline. I felt like it more pointed to how there is a country full of people who are not scared of death anymore and are ready and waiting to die at any moment. The descriptions of the awful checkpoints, the torture, the raids, the bribery, etc. shine a light on how little we(I) comprehend what is going on. I will hopefully never have to be exposed to those conditions, but they are SO REAL for people in this world. This was a very important story to tell. Khalifa did a wonderful job.
mattcowardgibbs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.0
emilka_22's review against another edition
5.0
Uprostřed tlačenice a všeobecného zmatku se Husajnovi vybavilo, jakou úctu vzbuzovaly pohřební průvody v dobách míru. Auta uhýbala z cesty, chodci se zastavovali a v očích jste jim mohli číst skutečnou úpřimnou soustrast. Jenže za války se z pohřebních průvodů stala běžná věc, která vyvolávala akorát tak závist živých, jejichž životy se změnily v bolestivé čekání na smrt.
(s. 12)
~
Zatoužil natáhnout se vedle otce, jako to dělával, když byl jěšte malý, jenže strach mu bránil usnout ve společnosti mrtvého muže. (s. 21)
~
To nejlepší, co může člověk, který chce uprchnout před bolestivými vzpomínkami, udělat, je se jim poddat. Neustálé přehrávání otupí jejich ostří a závažnost. Čas se přelije přes bolest a ona se vsákne do hlubin země. (s. 72)
~
Koneckonců je to bitva a ta neskončí ani snadno, ani rychle. (s. 88)
~
Veľmi dlho som túto útlu knihu čítala. Vlastne ani neviem, prečo som, pre boha, začala čítať knihu o vojne v čase, keď vojna zúri tak neuveriteľne blízko. A možno som ju začala čítať práve preto.
Je to príbeh troch odcudzených súrodencov, ktorí sa snažia splniť posledné prianie zosnulého otca, a tak s jeho mŕtvolou cestujú do rodnej dediny. Cesta, ktorá by za normálnych okolností trvala dve hodiny, trvá niekoľko dní, lebo o normálnych okolnostiach v zemi nemôže byť ani reč.
~
Štýl písania verne korešponduje s absordnosťou a každodennosťou - chladné konštatovanie reality čitateľa zasiahne viac ako sentiment, na ktorý sa počas vojny už aj tak dávno nikto nehrá.
(s. 12)
~
Zatoužil natáhnout se vedle otce, jako to dělával, když byl jěšte malý, jenže strach mu bránil usnout ve společnosti mrtvého muže. (s. 21)
~
To nejlepší, co může člověk, který chce uprchnout před bolestivými vzpomínkami, udělat, je se jim poddat. Neustálé přehrávání otupí jejich ostří a závažnost. Čas se přelije přes bolest a ona se vsákne do hlubin země. (s. 72)
~
Koneckonců je to bitva a ta neskončí ani snadno, ani rychle. (s. 88)
~
Veľmi dlho som túto útlu knihu čítala. Vlastne ani neviem, prečo som, pre boha, začala čítať knihu o vojne v čase, keď vojna zúri tak neuveriteľne blízko. A možno som ju začala čítať práve preto.
Je to príbeh troch odcudzených súrodencov, ktorí sa snažia splniť posledné prianie zosnulého otca, a tak s jeho mŕtvolou cestujú do rodnej dediny. Cesta, ktorá by za normálnych okolností trvala dve hodiny, trvá niekoľko dní, lebo o normálnych okolnostiach v zemi nemôže byť ani reč.
~
Štýl písania verne korešponduje s absordnosťou a každodennosťou - chladné konštatovanie reality čitateľa zasiahne viac ako sentiment, na ktorý sa počas vojny už aj tak dávno nikto nehrá.
coriandercake's review against another edition
2.0
There are some interesting ideas about how we perceive ourselves and the value of human life, as well as the memories we leave behind after death. However, the book overall was very boring and monotonous.
mnboyer's review against another edition
4.0
A father is lying on his deathbed and asks his son to promise him one last thing: Take his body back to his home and bury him with his sister. It seems like a simple enough request...except for the family is living in war-torn Syria and moving a body is actually quite a bit harder than one would suspect.
This one is not light reading, so don't let the appearance of it being a "small book" get you excited that you may be able to sit down and breeze through it. It is a challenging literary piece that also depicts the horrible war in Syria. It will, and should, take some time to read through this one. It can even feel a bit slow and lagging at times.
A great family travel narrative with pain, loss, love, and forgiveness.
This one is not light reading, so don't let the appearance of it being a "small book" get you excited that you may be able to sit down and breeze through it. It is a challenging literary piece that also depicts the horrible war in Syria. It will, and should, take some time to read through this one. It can even feel a bit slow and lagging at times.
A great family travel narrative with pain, loss, love, and forgiveness.
pearloz's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe 3.5. Surprisingly, this is the second book I finished this year that involved a cross country road trip to either bury or recover the dead body of a parent.
ida_s's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fascinating read, but the characters remained outlines for me, especially Fatima.
counterfeitnickel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
indiqoblue's review against another edition
Läst i littkurs // Alltså handlingen är ju så intressant. Inte likt något jag tidigare har läst. Dock tycker jag att författaren ibland svävade iväg lite mycket. Förstår att det är viktigt med bakgrundsinformation men jag tyckte att det var förvirrande. Tycker att alla borde läsa skönlitterära böcker om upproret i Syrien!
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Expected to like this one more. It was a good enough book, but a good solid read nonetheless and tons on cultural learning available.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Death of parent