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carrietmills 's review for:
Homeland Elegies
by Ayad Akhtar
Welp, reading this was an all-day affair, but I couldn't pull myself away. Part of my determination was to avoid embarrassment at book club later this week (eek!) but also this is difficult to put down.
Most immediate for me was the realization that I haven't spent much time thinking about the impact of 9/11 given how young I was at the time. There was something so perversely fascinating, almost voyeuristic, about reading a fictionalized family history tethered to Pakistan's independence and 9/11.
Focusing on the book itself, it's an immersive read, in part due to Akhtar's extensive vocabulary, cheeky footnotes, and critical character development. Some figures loom larger than life within the text, notably Sikander Akhtar, Ayad's renowned cardiologist father who harbors a deep reverence for Donald Trump, and Riaz Rind, a Pakistani American hedge fund founder who takes an unexpected interest in Akhtar.
The book club had much to discuss and the text drew a number of lively discussions. Heartily recommend!
Most immediate for me was the realization that I haven't spent much time thinking about the impact of 9/11 given how young I was at the time. There was something so perversely fascinating, almost voyeuristic, about reading a fictionalized family history tethered to Pakistan's independence and 9/11.
Focusing on the book itself, it's an immersive read, in part due to Akhtar's extensive vocabulary, cheeky footnotes, and critical character development. Some figures loom larger than life within the text, notably Sikander Akhtar, Ayad's renowned cardiologist father who harbors a deep reverence for Donald Trump, and Riaz Rind, a Pakistani American hedge fund founder who takes an unexpected interest in Akhtar.
The book club had much to discuss and the text drew a number of lively discussions. Heartily recommend!