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A review by anishinaabekwereads
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. I'd first heard about it from the angle that the "narrator" was Destiny and, because I loved The Book Thief so much I couldn't wait to get my hands on this young adult novel centered around Tareq, a young Syrian boy's escape from his homeland ravaged by violence. That, I think, was the worst way I could have approached this book. I went in with a certain level of expectation and I was pretty disappointed.
First, Destiny's interspersed monologue-like thoughts on the situation almost feel as if Abawi was trying too hard to be "deep" and insightful. I think that this would have been a much better book if this storytelling device had been removed from the final product because it was distracting and disappointing throughout. It did nothing for me.
Second, I was startled by the interjection of an American college student's point of view. It came too late and I didn't see the point at all. It frustrated me to be removed from Tareq's experience and I felt a certain level of discomfort about this selfless, empathetic American girl taking space in a novel that would have been more successful if Tareq had been the focal point.
I gave this 3 stars because I think that the subject matter is far too important to overlook and because I think the failings I found in this book were partly on me as a reader who expected something much different. I think this could be an enjoyable and worthwhile read for some, certainly, but I'm still just really ambivalent. Definitely do not approach this book assuming that it will be at all similar to The Book Thief.
First, Destiny's interspersed monologue-like thoughts on the situation almost feel as if Abawi was trying too hard to be "deep" and insightful. I think that this would have been a much better book if this storytelling device had been removed from the final product because it was distracting and disappointing throughout. It did nothing for me.
Second, I was startled by the interjection of an American college student's point of view. It came too late and I didn't see the point at all. It frustrated me to be removed from Tareq's experience and I felt a certain level of discomfort about this selfless, empathetic American girl taking space in a novel that would have been more successful if Tareq had been the focal point.
I gave this 3 stars because I think that the subject matter is far too important to overlook and because I think the failings I found in this book were partly on me as a reader who expected something much different. I think this could be an enjoyable and worthwhile read for some, certainly, but I'm still just really ambivalent. Definitely do not approach this book assuming that it will be at all similar to The Book Thief.