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A review by thebookishfeminist
The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan
5.0
Hala Alyan has written an absolutely gorgeous novel in “The Arsonists’ City.” Finishing this book left me with that hollow heartache, that little bit of stunned stillness that happens when you are suddenly no longer immersed in the lives of the people and places you got to know so well throughout the pages of a book. I’m going to have a serious book hangover after this one, in the best way possible.
The Arsonists’ City addresses and explores human and familial relationships - to place, to each other, to our pasts. When a family home in Beirut is about to be sold after the death of the family’s patriarch, we go on a journey through time and space as we learn about a mother, a father, their adult children, and many of the meaningful people who have influenced and changed the course of their lives. Beirut is also like a living, breathing character in this book, and I found Alyan’s ability to really show readers this place - not just describe it but make us feel deep connections to it - to be quite remarkable.
I was also thoroughly impressed by the extensive character development and arcs that we get to explore, and the almost hauntingly beautiful prose. There is a sense of insurmountable loss, of determination, of love and acceptance, of exposing secrets, and of deep ancestral healing that will inform future generations, illustrated by the way we see ancestors’ pain affecting characters in the present. There’s something about this book that taps into the very essential nature of humans: our nostalgia, our capacity for erring and for forgiving. When I think about the characters, about Beirut and the characters’ upcoming journeys, I get that ache in my chest like I’m nostalgic for something - like I’m missing someone. These are stories, characters, or places that will not leave me for a long time. This novel is a powerful statement about love, identity, ancestral lands, the secrets we keep, and the resilience of our devotion to family. We only know someone as much as they want us to know them, and nothing makes that clearer than The Arsonists’ City. But we also learn that our families are what we make them, and that our identities can be fluid but still connected across time and space, across communities, across rifts between family members.
I’m so grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy. I can’t wait for the release!
The Arsonists’ City addresses and explores human and familial relationships - to place, to each other, to our pasts. When a family home in Beirut is about to be sold after the death of the family’s patriarch, we go on a journey through time and space as we learn about a mother, a father, their adult children, and many of the meaningful people who have influenced and changed the course of their lives. Beirut is also like a living, breathing character in this book, and I found Alyan’s ability to really show readers this place - not just describe it but make us feel deep connections to it - to be quite remarkable.
I was also thoroughly impressed by the extensive character development and arcs that we get to explore, and the almost hauntingly beautiful prose. There is a sense of insurmountable loss, of determination, of love and acceptance, of exposing secrets, and of deep ancestral healing that will inform future generations, illustrated by the way we see ancestors’ pain affecting characters in the present. There’s something about this book that taps into the very essential nature of humans: our nostalgia, our capacity for erring and for forgiving. When I think about the characters, about Beirut and the characters’ upcoming journeys, I get that ache in my chest like I’m nostalgic for something - like I’m missing someone. These are stories, characters, or places that will not leave me for a long time. This novel is a powerful statement about love, identity, ancestral lands, the secrets we keep, and the resilience of our devotion to family. We only know someone as much as they want us to know them, and nothing makes that clearer than The Arsonists’ City. But we also learn that our families are what we make them, and that our identities can be fluid but still connected across time and space, across communities, across rifts between family members.
I’m so grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy. I can’t wait for the release!