A review by redwrapped
Mother Ocean Father Nation by Nishant Batsha

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A tense, infuriating depiction of escalating nationalism becoming violent, and finally, seizure of property and executions of those who don't comply. These escalating hostilities and dangers force the sister to leave and go to America, while it becomes harder and harder for the brother to find a way to escape as he witnesses more atrocities unfold and the world mostly ignores the violence and murder. 

Many of the characters did not feel well-introduced. It took me a while to tell the characters apart, because their personalities were not particularly distinct.

However, I loved the descriptions of the settings the brother and sister found themselves in. Each was nuanced with subtlety and lushness, and never felt forced. And the way that the nationalist takeover happens gradually but also quickly enough most people don't relax in time is so insidious and universal is horrifying and deeply ingrained in the true nature of our world.