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A review by boodschappenlijst
Ministerie van Dromen by Hengameh Yaghoobifarah
dark
funny
mysterious
- 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
4.0
I keep going back and forth between 3.75 and 4 stars. 4 means I really enjoyed a book, and while I thought this book was very funny and relatable for the most part, the ambiguous ending kind of takes away from that. I'm not sure what the author's intent was there.
As someone who shares the demographic characteristics of the main character but slightly to the left, many elements of this book were extremely relatable. The way past events and aspects of being a refugee are casually mixed into the narrative is exactly how my family and I talk about these things. The lines seem to blur between real anecdotes and fiction, especially when negative experiences are highlighted-- the toxic parent-child dynamic for one. I see why readers unfamiliar with any of these experiences could feel like they are missing some key knowledge. In that sense, it seems the book was written for people who can intimately relate to being a refugee or brown in Germany.
The cast consists of people who consistently make the wrong choices. That makes the story quite entertaining. At some point it becomes clear that the main character is a slightly unreliable narrator. Not in the things she doesn't say, but in the things she doesn't hear others say. What I personally got from that is how you can sometimes be your own worst enemy when you refuse to mend your view of yourself and others. The relationship the MC has with her niece doesn't get mended until she's forced to tear down her walls and tell the truth about her deceased sister. It showed how actually listening and responding to grievances can do a lot, but it requires letting go of some assumptions. Sadly, we don't get to see how the MC grows from beyond this point.
As someone who shares the demographic characteristics of the main character but slightly to the left, many elements of this book were extremely relatable. The way past events and aspects of being a refugee are casually mixed into the narrative is exactly how my family and I talk about these things. The lines seem to blur between real anecdotes and fiction, especially when negative experiences are highlighted-- the toxic parent-child dynamic for one. I see why readers unfamiliar with any of these experiences could feel like they are missing some key knowledge. In that sense, it seems the book was written for people who can intimately relate to being a refugee or brown in Germany.
The cast consists of people who consistently make the wrong choices. That makes the story quite entertaining. At some point it becomes clear that the main character is a slightly unreliable narrator. Not in the things she doesn't say, but in the things she doesn't hear others say. What I personally got from that is how you can sometimes be your own worst enemy when you refuse to mend your view of yourself and others. The relationship the MC has with her niece doesn't get mended until she's forced to tear down her walls and tell the truth about her deceased sister. It showed how actually listening and responding to grievances can do a lot, but it requires letting go of some assumptions. Sadly, we don't get to see how the MC grows from beyond this point.