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A review by nogayourbroga
The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Very, very close to being a favorite. Especially for literary, Lailami's prose is incredibly readable; I found myself unable to put this book down.
That said, the premise of the ensemble cast could have been handled a bit better. Nora was undeniably the main focus, being the daughter of the victim, but she and Jeremy sort of hogged the attention—to a point where there wasn't time to resolve other characters' arcs. In particular,Efraín and Coleman were left a bit by the wayside, with no real resolution—not even an ambiguous ending. It kind of feels like their stories end right before they resolve. I can kind of understand why, artistically, but it just feels like a letdown.
Then there's the cop stuff. For an author who ended her previous novel with the main character abandoning a system that would never accept him, seeing how the police were handled here really surprised me. Police brutality is addressed to an extent, but it's painted as "a few bad apples" rather than a corrupt system that needs drastic overhaul, if not abolition. AndNora's decision to stay with her cop boyfriend who was, at the very least, a complicit witness to war crimes—that didn't sit right with me, especially since it's framed from his POV as then just having to work through their differences.
IDK, maybe I'm just too much of a leftist to fully enjoy this book. The resolution to the actual hit and run mystery is nicely done, though, as are the dynamics of the Guerraoui family. I like that it ended with Nora and her mom, too.
Ultimately, I think this book is best enjoyed if you voted for Biden and believe that we can reform our way to justice; those of you lefter than Bernie, though, should turn your brain off for a bit.
That said, the premise of the ensemble cast could have been handled a bit better. Nora was undeniably the main focus, being the daughter of the victim, but she and Jeremy sort of hogged the attention—to a point where there wasn't time to resolve other characters' arcs. In particular,
Then there's the cop stuff. For an author who ended her previous novel with the main character abandoning a system that would never accept him, seeing how the police were handled here really surprised me. Police brutality is addressed to an extent, but it's painted as "a few bad apples" rather than a corrupt system that needs drastic overhaul, if not abolition. And
IDK, maybe I'm just too much of a leftist to fully enjoy this book. The resolution to the actual hit and run mystery is nicely done, though, as are the dynamics of the Guerraoui family. I like that it ended with Nora and her mom, too.
Ultimately, I think this book is best enjoyed if you voted for Biden and believe that we can reform our way to justice; those of you lefter than Bernie, though, should turn your brain off for a bit.