A review by georgiasbookescapes
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

4 generations of family, all starting from Palestine. On the night before of Alia’s wedding, her mother reads her future in a coffee cup. Holding some details to herself, all the events pass soon in the Six Day War of 1967. Forced to move about, the story shows different lives of the family and the impact from the invasion of Palestine all those generations back. 

This book is beautifully written. The impacts of colonisation from just the 20th century and the ongoing impacts that have been continuing including to right now and the current genocide occurring in Palestine. The impacts of trauma and intergenerational trauma are hard to move past. As the blurb of my book asks it ultimately boils down to - where do you go when you can’t go home?

Big thanks to Mostly Books for making this a Blind Date With A Book for me to nab! 😍