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A review by remytherat
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This story is told in two perspectives. The first, Sameer, an East African Asian lawyer, follows him just months before he's set to move for job; then his plans get changed quite dramatically. The second perspective is epistolary; it takes the form of letters written from Hasan (Sameer's grandfather) to his first wife, Amira.
This was an incredibly well-written story about identity, the nature of family, and the intergenerational effects of colonialism. The first half took a bit of time to get started, but the lyrical prose and characters who felt human made up for it.
The characters were really well written; Sameer's arc is well paced and has a realistic end. Sameer is a better person by the end of the book, but he isn't perfect.
While his arc is good, I ended up liking some of the side characters more than I liked Sameer; this, however, isn't really a bad thing. Annoying dudes™️ and bad people can still be really compelling characters, and Sameer really was. Zayyan's understanding of people felt really tangible the entire time I was reading.
The last third of the book is almost entirely dedicated to Sameer starting his juice start-up; I don't care about Business™️ at all, so that ended up being a bit of a slog to get through. Disappointingly, we learned very little about the actual juices.
This was an incredibly well-written story about identity, the nature of family, and the intergenerational effects of colonialism. The first half took a bit of time to get started, but the lyrical prose and characters who felt human made up for it.
The characters were really well written; Sameer's arc is well paced and has a realistic end. Sameer is a better person by the end of the book, but he isn't perfect.
While his arc is good, I ended up liking some of the side characters more than I liked Sameer; this, however, isn't really a bad thing. Annoying dudes™️ and bad people can still be really compelling characters, and Sameer really was. Zayyan's understanding of people felt really tangible the entire time I was reading.
The last third of the book is almost entirely dedicated to Sameer starting his juice start-up; I don't care about Business™️ at all, so that ended up being a bit of a slog to get through. Disappointingly, we learned very little about the actual juices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, Deportation, and Hate crime
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Classism