A review by thesmashbotdiaries
The Hidden Light of Objects by Mai Al-Nakib

5.0

I have not read a more poignant, engulfing set of short stories in a long time. I have never been to any of the locations described in the stories, but felt them around me nonetheless. Al-Nakib weaves through the stories and vignettes between them using objects that surface over and over like a verbal where's waldo. The stories are particularly moving since the characters are painfully familiar and yet the decisions they must make are often quite foreign. Beautiful writing, expressive descriptions and memorable characters.