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A review by thecaffeinatedlibrary
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
'She wouldn't let herself be confined, simmered down, erased. For once in her life she would make a choice that was fully her own.'
This book looked directly into my soul, saw the messy parts of me, and then cracked them wide open. Evil Eye lays bare all the grit, all the unfavourable things, of what living with trauma is like, and the ways our brains try to run from it.
In Evil Eye, Yara is learning how her trauma has impacted her life and the decisions she has made. She learns about intergenerational trauma, and how it festers like rot inside of us. She learns that she can break this cycle. The heart of Yara's journey is this intense desire to be better than her parents were, to be more. This entire novel moves through Yara's journey like a tidal wave in slow motion, it is as heartwrenching as it is hopeful.
Etaf Rum also does a really incredible job at showing the reader the ripple effects of intense familial trauma — in this case, the Nakba. She creates such empathy in the reader, that I'm sure it would be impossible for anyone to walk away from this novel with anything but intense sadness, and rage, over what has been done to Palestine and the effects zionism has had on its people.
Etaf Rum is now firmly in the 'favourite author' camp of mine, thank you for sharing these words with the world.
This book looked directly into my soul, saw the messy parts of me, and then cracked them wide open. Evil Eye lays bare all the grit, all the unfavourable things, of what living with trauma is like, and the ways our brains try to run from it.
In Evil Eye, Yara is learning how her trauma has impacted her life and the decisions she has made. She learns about intergenerational trauma, and how it festers like rot inside of us. She learns that she can break this cycle. The heart of Yara's journey is this intense desire to be better than her parents were, to be more. This entire novel moves through Yara's journey like a tidal wave in slow motion, it is as heartwrenching as it is hopeful.
Etaf Rum also does a really incredible job at showing the reader the ripple effects of intense familial trauma — in this case, the Nakba. She creates such empathy in the reader, that I'm sure it would be impossible for anyone to walk away from this novel with anything but intense sadness, and rage, over what has been done to Palestine and the effects zionism has had on its people.
Etaf Rum is now firmly in the 'favourite author' camp of mine, thank you for sharing these words with the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Domestic abuse