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A review by bianca89279
Brass by Xhenet Aliu
4.0
Brass is a simple, yet very well executed novel, mostly focusing on the mother-daughter relationships, the American dream for Albanian immigrants and life in a small, dying small town in Connecticut.
The novel is told via alternate timelines and points of view, one for Luljeta, almost eighteen years old and the other one for her mother, Elsie, when she was the same age.
Genetic destiny has a way of showing up, so there's repeating patterns and mistakes. Derailing one's life is relatively easy when lacking material advantages and support networks.
For me, it was also interesting to read about the Albanian immigrants, especially since I'd never come across them in any books. Albania is one of those small, forgotten Eastern European countries that you never hear about and I say this as someone born in a similar country, but at least people know two, maybe three things about it, if they're over 40 and into world politics.
I was impressed with this novel, so I'll keep my eyes open for Aliu's next novel.
The novel is told via alternate timelines and points of view, one for Luljeta, almost eighteen years old and the other one for her mother, Elsie, when she was the same age.
Genetic destiny has a way of showing up, so there's repeating patterns and mistakes. Derailing one's life is relatively easy when lacking material advantages and support networks.
For me, it was also interesting to read about the Albanian immigrants, especially since I'd never come across them in any books. Albania is one of those small, forgotten Eastern European countries that you never hear about and I say this as someone born in a similar country, but at least people know two, maybe three things about it, if they're over 40 and into world politics.
I was impressed with this novel, so I'll keep my eyes open for Aliu's next novel.