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A review by serendipitysbooks
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Evil Eye is the story of Yara, a Palestinian- American woman, and her search for a more fulfilling life. Yara believes she should be happy. She’s married with two beautiful children and was able to earn a Masters degree and work at the local college, far more than she could ever hoped for during her very circumscribed childhood. But Yara wants more out of life, including travel and a closer relationship with her husband. Faced with a few personal crises she is eventually ready to reckon with her past and take action to work towards a more satisfying future for herself.
In this book Rum did a couple of things really well. One is the way she showcased intergenerational trauma, drawing clear links between the Nakba, the trauma based (and trauma causing) behaviours of Yara’s parents, and some of her own struggles. Another is the way she portrayed Yara’s emotions in a way that was so easy to empathise with that it hurt to read. I could feel her claustrophobia, her frustration at not being seen, her struggle to reconcile her dreams and aspirations with her family and cultural background, her guilt at not obeying, her pain at feeling that her emotions and aspirations were somehow wrong. At one point I actually needed to put the book aside to give my heart time to recover, and that is something I rarely do. For a time Yara made no progress, seemingly stuck in a cycle of unhappiness. While this was somewhat frustrating to read it also felt very accurate and true to life, an on the page representation of her life. Therapy was unable to make a difference until Yara was both willing to engage and able to find a therapist she felt comfortable with, but then it helped her make some big breakthroughs. I loved the friendship that developed between Silas (and his mother) and Yara. So refreshing to see a friendship between a male and female with no sexual overtones or other ulterior motives. It was also a good reminder of how a little kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life, and some of the joys to be found in cross-cultural friendships.
In this book Rum did a couple of things really well. One is the way she showcased intergenerational trauma, drawing clear links between the Nakba, the trauma based (and trauma causing) behaviours of Yara’s parents, and some of her own struggles. Another is the way she portrayed Yara’s emotions in a way that was so easy to empathise with that it hurt to read. I could feel her claustrophobia, her frustration at not being seen, her struggle to reconcile her dreams and aspirations with her family and cultural background, her guilt at not obeying, her pain at feeling that her emotions and aspirations were somehow wrong. At one point I actually needed to put the book aside to give my heart time to recover, and that is something I rarely do. For a time Yara made no progress, seemingly stuck in a cycle of unhappiness. While this was somewhat frustrating to read it also felt very accurate and true to life, an on the page representation of her life. Therapy was unable to make a difference until Yara was both willing to engage and able to find a therapist she felt comfortable with, but then it helped her make some big breakthroughs. I loved the friendship that developed between Silas (and his mother) and Yara. So refreshing to see a friendship between a male and female with no sexual overtones or other ulterior motives. It was also a good reminder of how a little kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life, and some of the joys to be found in cross-cultural friendships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Genocide and Islamophobia