A review by bethsbookshelf
The Beauty of Your Face: One Woman's Life in a Nation at Odds with Its Ideals by Sahar Mustafah

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

A book that feels so new yet so familiar. I'll not forget it. Packed with heartache and brimming with hope, this novel tells the story of the powerful and resilient Afaf as she navigates a school shooting where she teaches while flashbacks of her past interrupt her thoughts. Her life has been punctuated by grief, self-discovery, loss, finding faith, being the victim of racism, and falling in love - yet it's all led to this moment. Will she survive the school shooting? Will her daughter, a student at the school, survive? How will her past help her in what could be, might be, her final moments? 

The writing in this novel is crisp, polished, yet lyrical. Each line flows from one to the next, each idea fluid as it weaves throughout her life, her mother's life, her father's, her sister's, and the school shooters. The author fills in every gap and every question you may have while still respecting the privacy of the characters when necessary. Ending on a poignant note, I don't think I have a bad word to say about this book. 
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