A review by notesofacrocodile
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

i have no idea where to begin, i am frankly nearly speechless about how to explain how much i loved this novel. to condense all of what i felt and experienced into a simple note feels almost like a betrayal.

zeyn joukhadar crafts the most exquisite prose that is almost poetic but not in excess; it does not swell with nonsensical metaphors or descriptions ripened with words that make no sense when combined together. rather his characters, the story, the circumstances- all of it is suspended in a somewhat melancholic quietness. it is hard-to-swallow grief and it is heavy, it makes you stop and survey each word carefully. there was deep, aching loss but there was also community, and so, so much love. 

queer syrian-american trans boy and his love of birds/bird art wasn't a premise i thought i could have been enticed by before, but man, i am so glad i gave this book a chance, it is definitely one of my favourites.