A review by misspalah
What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

“The west you talk about doesn’t exist. It’s a fairytale, a fantasy you sell yourself because the alternative is to admit that you are the least important character in your own story. You invent an entire world because your conscience demands it, you invent good people and bad people and you draw a neat line between them because your simplistic morality demands it. But the two kinds of people in this world are not good and bad, they are engines and fuel. Go ahead, change your country, change your name, change your accent, pull the skin right off your bones, but in their eyes they will always be the engines and you will always, always be fuel.”

― Omar El Akkad, What Strange Paradise

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The book is about a refugee crisis mixed with a loose retelling of Peter Pan. Amir, who calls himself David when he arrives, ends up on a beach near a resort town. This mirrors the real event from September 2, 2015, when a photo of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi, who drowned trying to reach Greece, shocked the world. The book aims to highlight the refugee crisis and its complexities. In the story, Vänna, the main character, finds Amir and does her best to help him despite being young and facing a language barrier. Amir has to decide if he can trust Vänna, and she has to figure out how far she will go to help him, even if it’s more than she can handle. The book's slow pace reflects the heavy emotions of the children’s situation.

Chapters are labeled "Before" or "After," referring to Vänna. These pieces reveal more about Amir, though they don't add much to the plot. The book discusses important themes like climate change and war forcing people from their homes. I appreciated the focus on children but wished they had more voice. Instead, the story gave more space to the powerful adult character. Another downside was the lack of development for most characters. The book portrays war in simple good vs. evil terms, missing its complicated, messy nature. Despite these issues, it’s a thought-provoking book, though it feels average until the end.