A review by serendipitysbooks
Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 In honour of Celebrate Teen Literature Day (13 April) I thought I’d read a YA book from my TBR. And since it’s also National Poetry month, Home is Not a Country, a YA novel in verse, was the obvious pick. It’s the story of Nima, a Sudanese-American girl who lives with her working class single mother in the suburbs. Thanks to racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia, plus good old teenage angst Nima often feels that she doesn’t belong and wonders what her life would be like if she wasn’t in America. A dash of magical realism allows her to find out, and possibly learn a little bit more about her family history than she might have cared to know. I’m not always a fan of magical realism but I think it worked really well here, allowing Nima to experience at least part of her parents’ past and to learn, in something akin to a first hand way, that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. The style and structure of this book provided a fresh look at some of my favourite themes including immigration, identity, family, friendship, community and mother-daughter relationships. The language managed to be both lush and urgent. Very glad to have read this one. 
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