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A review by ridgewaygirl
Refuge by Dina Nayeri
4.0
This is a story of immigration told in the fractured relationship between a woman and the father who remained behind in Iran. Niloo was eight when she was bundled into a car and left Istafan, Iran forever. Her mother, a Christian, was in danger and her father remained behind, his successful dental practice and opium addiction keeping him there. Over then years, there were a few brief, unsatisfactory reunions.
Niloo is a success story. Her mother works long hours in menial jobs to support them and Niloo attends Yale, where she meets her French husband. They settle in Amsterdam, but as Geert Wilders gains popularity as the head of a xenophobic and right wing political party, Niloo's insecurities become less manageable and she becomes involved with a group of Iranian refugees trying to survive as they fight for legal status in a country becoming increasingly unwelcoming.
Nayeri does a wonderful job showing how the uncertainties of refugee life reverberate in a person's life years after they've settled in a new country. Niloo needs rigid rules to survive and carries a backpack around with the documents she finds necessary to proving that she belongs where she is. Nayeri is also effective in describing the relationship between father and daughter, with all the layers of disappointment and love.
This is a debut novel and this is very much evident in the novel, as well as the autobiographical nature of much of the contents. Nayeri has important things to communicate about what being a refugee means and for this, the novel is worth reading.
Niloo is a success story. Her mother works long hours in menial jobs to support them and Niloo attends Yale, where she meets her French husband. They settle in Amsterdam, but as Geert Wilders gains popularity as the head of a xenophobic and right wing political party, Niloo's insecurities become less manageable and she becomes involved with a group of Iranian refugees trying to survive as they fight for legal status in a country becoming increasingly unwelcoming.
Nayeri does a wonderful job showing how the uncertainties of refugee life reverberate in a person's life years after they've settled in a new country. Niloo needs rigid rules to survive and carries a backpack around with the documents she finds necessary to proving that she belongs where she is. Nayeri is also effective in describing the relationship between father and daughter, with all the layers of disappointment and love.
This is a debut novel and this is very much evident in the novel, as well as the autobiographical nature of much of the contents. Nayeri has important things to communicate about what being a refugee means and for this, the novel is worth reading.