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A review by kaitlynreadsbooks
The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia
3.0
I wanted to like this book more. I was looking forward to reading a story about an Eritrean man's time in Saudi Arabia, given that the author is an Eritrean man who lived in Saudi Arabia. The story had promise and I enjoyed certain aspects of it, but overall I found it rather disappointing. I read it quickly so I could finish it and move on to something else.
The writing itself was average. I don't know if that's due in part to the translation or just the fact that this was Addonia's first novel, but it definitely felt like a first novel. (I say that as someone who admires the work that goes into writing a novel and who has never done it personally. It takes a lot of dedication and passion and hard work to write a first novel and I think Addonia should continue writing and improving.) The language was at times trite, with a harlequin romance novel feel to it, and I thought the ending was rather predictable.
It did manage to make me feel angry at parts, and I appreciated that it discussed religious oppression, sexual abuse, and immigrant rights in Saudi Arabia. I had never considered how immigrants might be treated in that country, so that part was illuminating.
But at the end of the day I think it fell flat. It was an entertaining story that no doubt other people will enjoy reading, but it wasn't much more than that.
The writing itself was average. I don't know if that's due in part to the translation or just the fact that this was Addonia's first novel, but it definitely felt like a first novel. (I say that as someone who admires the work that goes into writing a novel and who has never done it personally. It takes a lot of dedication and passion and hard work to write a first novel and I think Addonia should continue writing and improving.) The language was at times trite, with a harlequin romance novel feel to it, and I thought the ending was rather predictable.
It did manage to make me feel angry at parts, and I appreciated that it discussed religious oppression, sexual abuse, and immigrant rights in Saudi Arabia. I had never considered how immigrants might be treated in that country, so that part was illuminating.
But at the end of the day I think it fell flat. It was an entertaining story that no doubt other people will enjoy reading, but it wasn't much more than that.