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A review by mtmteres
No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by Khaled Khalifa, Leri Price
3.0
I found the theme and a lot of the events described in this novel interesting and informative, as they give a lot of insight on the daily lives and social atmosphere in Aleppo and Syria in general, in a certain period of time (50s to early 2000s).
The book shows different aspects of a society living under a dictatorship, many of which would not be obvious to someone not knowing what that implies.
The characters in this story change allegiances, beliefs and their way of acting throughout their lives. I found this one of the most interesting elements in the book, but, on the other hand, I found the way these shifts in ideology and behaviour were not described deeply enough so as to render them clear or true, or authentic, whatever one may want to call that.
I had the impression at times, of an accumulation of facts, events and changes narrated very swiftly, but without enough room for reflection, without enough detail to let the reader understand fully why those things are happening.
I also expected some insight on the consequences of the present conflict in Syria, but the time period covered is previous to the beginning of the war.
The book shows different aspects of a society living under a dictatorship, many of which would not be obvious to someone not knowing what that implies.
The characters in this story change allegiances, beliefs and their way of acting throughout their lives. I found this one of the most interesting elements in the book, but, on the other hand, I found the way these shifts in ideology and behaviour were not described deeply enough so as to render them clear or true, or authentic, whatever one may want to call that.
I had the impression at times, of an accumulation of facts, events and changes narrated very swiftly, but without enough room for reflection, without enough detail to let the reader understand fully why those things are happening.
I also expected some insight on the consequences of the present conflict in Syria, but the time period covered is previous to the beginning of the war.