jackelz 's review for:

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

emotional reflective

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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“When this country asks me where I'm from, they aren't asking for the city on my birth certificate, but whose earth is in my blood.”

Nadir is a closeted Syrian-American nonbinary character in his early 20’s in New York City who is haunted by his mother’s ghost and the mystery of a famous painter who painted the birds of North America. 

Laila is a famed and mysterious Syrian-American painter who came to the United States in the 1930’s with her family to the now-nonexistent neighborhood of “Little Syria” in Manhattan.

I loved how the two timelines were woven together and how their connection slowly unfolds. There is so much to learn about birds, transgender people, and Syrian immigrants and their community within these pages. The prose was truly beautiful, and I only wished to have illustrations of all the wonderful birds.