A review by zach_l
The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon

3.0

2.5 stars rounded up because how often do you get a book grounded in queer love set in World War 1? This book is a story about how war is hell (often told with quite gruesome details) and love can be magical (though at times borders on obsessive). There are clear strokes of genius in the writing that are suddenly interrupted by interjections in (I think) Ladino or German. At times I got frustratingly close to understanding a character's inner struggles and feeling their emotions, only to be pulled away from a switch in the narration or transition in the plot. I feel like for some readers this is an amazing book (and clearly the reviews/ratings reflect that) but, for me, it felt more like a slog. I would recommend others give it a try before relying on my review alone though!