A review by booksweread
Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

How do you review a book by an author you admire, adore, are inspired by and think can do no wrong, without sounding like you have a vested interest in their success?

This review is just vibes, read the blurb and just go in blind. Trust me.

As with Song of the Sun God and Chai Time, Safe Haven is a journey.

A journey through the tumultuous and horrific refugee and detention policies of Australia, and a journey to find community and home.

It's also a mystery, there's a death and an investigation, all on the backdrop of a detention centre.

And there are people. Beautifully characterised characters with heart and soul and joy and flaws.

I love how Shankari writes with empathy and care, with love and hope even when all these things seem out of reach.

I also love how she seamlessly weaves the past and the present with the future, with fiction and pertinent social commentary about things that make her angry with the world.

I devoured Safe Haven, and now I wish I'd savoured it more.

Please read this book.

With my eternal thanks to the Ultimo team for a review copy of Safe Haven.