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A review by analyticalchaos
Why No Goodbye? by Pamela L. Laskin
1.0
tw: sexual assault, violence
When writing books about another culture, it's imperative to think about the ramifications your book has on the people you're representing. Though it is a crucial international topic, I bet the average westerner couldn't expound on the persecution Rohingya Muslims face daily in Myanmar.
However, branding this as a novel about a Rohingya Muslim boy in Myanmar is misleading. The protagonist faces barely any conflict due to his Muslim identity. He does not witness any instances of mistreatment. Vague descriptions of gunshots are present. He is left behind as his family leaves him to seek better opportunities. The tangled mess of plot holes and inaccuracies makes me feel this novel was not researched properly.
The weird, out-of-place descriptions add to this feeling. "The sounds of tamarind." Tamarind what? Fruit? Seed pods? Trees? What do you mean by tamarind? That's the equivalent to saying "the sound of lemon." It's not a thing.
The content of this story is painful to dissect.
I was left confused, disheartened, yet unfortunately, not surprised. I don't want to dissuade people from writing another culture. I believe that cultivating diverse thought processes is beneficial for everyone. The point still stands: Neglectful research and damaging stereotypes are hurtful to your audience.
I used to feel a lot of anger at books that frame cultures in false, questionable narratives. But truthfully, I'm exhausted.
When writing books about another culture, it's imperative to think about the ramifications your book has on the people you're representing. Though it is a crucial international topic, I bet the average westerner couldn't expound on the persecution Rohingya Muslims face daily in Myanmar.
However, branding this as a novel about a Rohingya Muslim boy in Myanmar is misleading. The protagonist faces barely any conflict due to his Muslim identity. He does not witness any instances of mistreatment. Vague descriptions of gunshots are present. He is left behind as his family leaves him to seek better opportunities. The tangled mess of plot holes and inaccuracies makes me feel this novel was not researched properly.
The weird, out-of-place descriptions add to this feeling. "The sounds of tamarind." Tamarind what? Fruit? Seed pods? Trees? What do you mean by tamarind? That's the equivalent to saying "the sound of lemon." It's not a thing.
The content of this story is painful to dissect.
Spoiler
We see this novel tackle issues of child marriage and sexual assault. It falls on broken stereotypes of consent. After promising to respect consent, we see our protagonist sexually assault a girl. She runs away. He seeks out to find her, she immediately goes back to him. There are no consequences for his actions. With her return, the physical relationship escalates. It made me feel horrified and repulsed. Were we supposed to be glad she came back? I wish she got away.I was left confused, disheartened, yet unfortunately, not surprised. I don't want to dissuade people from writing another culture. I believe that cultivating diverse thought processes is beneficial for everyone. The point still stands: Neglectful research and damaging stereotypes are hurtful to your audience.
I used to feel a lot of anger at books that frame cultures in false, questionable narratives. But truthfully, I'm exhausted.