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A review by amylee218
Brass by Xhenet Aliu
5.0
“Suds dripped from her fingertips as if she bled cleanliness, and could just wash over us with it, but she held her arms close to her, cradling herself.”
The writing in this novel is gorgeous-- the author used a lot of figurative language, but it never felt overworked or like she was trying too hard. The words were just right. It was biting and sad, funny, honest, and a bit tragic. The story was written in both the first and the second person, which is unusual, but it worked here. I was a bit more attached to Elsie's story than Luljeta's (maybe because I could relate to her more-- I was a teen mother myself). This book is said to be an exploration of the relationships between mothers and daughters, but I thought that Elsie and Luljeta's stories were a bit separate throughout, and that it focused more on the relationship (or lack of) that both women had with Bashkim. I know that all of the decisions that they made were both defined by and the result of the relationship that they had with each other, but I just wanted more mother/daughter stuff. The ending was a bit abrupt, and even as I turned that last page, I kept thinking there was more to their story. I will definitely seek out more of Aliu's writing.
I won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and it got pushed to the back of my very full bookshelf. I apologize for taking so long to read it, and am so glad I finally did.
The writing in this novel is gorgeous-- the author used a lot of figurative language, but it never felt overworked or like she was trying too hard. The words were just right. It was biting and sad, funny, honest, and a bit tragic. The story was written in both the first and the second person, which is unusual, but it worked here. I was a bit more attached to Elsie's story than Luljeta's (maybe because I could relate to her more-- I was a teen mother myself). This book is said to be an exploration of the relationships between mothers and daughters, but I thought that Elsie and Luljeta's stories were a bit separate throughout, and that it focused more on the relationship (or lack of) that both women had with Bashkim. I know that all of the decisions that they made were both defined by and the result of the relationship that they had with each other, but I just wanted more mother/daughter stuff. The ending was a bit abrupt, and even as I turned that last page, I kept thinking there was more to their story. I will definitely seek out more of Aliu's writing.
I won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and it got pushed to the back of my very full bookshelf. I apologize for taking so long to read it, and am so glad I finally did.