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lit_vibrations 's review for:
When We Were Sisters
by Fatimah Asghar
Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy.
What a beautiful yet eccentric way to express emotions through fictional characters. This novel was a lyrical combination of storytelling and poetry. The writing style was very different than what I’m used to. Lots of fragmented sentences and short paragraphs. But because there were sections that contained poetry I got through this rather quickly.
The novel follows the life of 3 sisters now orphaned after losing their last living parent. Hurt that it seemed nobody wanted to take them in until their mothers brother shows up to save the day. Assuming this would be a good option for them. They soon realize living with their uncle may not be what they expected after all.
Placed into an apartment basically to fend for themselves. While their uncle chose when and how he’d take care of them. Which was rarely ever yet he lived comfortably at their expense. The uncle really irked my nerves because he was mean, controlling, abusive, selfish, and uncaring. Basically taking the girls in was for his own financial gain.
Of all the sisters I felt Kausar got the worst experience being the youngest. No parental guidance caused them all to rely on each other. But that also started to form a wall between them as they struggled through the problems they were facing. Days with no food,
clean clothing, or basic necessities. It’s hard to stick together when you’re struggling to survive.
The author covered some heavy topics from self-discovery, family, gender, depression, identity, physical and emotional abuse, childhood trauma, and sexual assault.
Apart from it seeming to be rushed the ending seemed a bit off with the timeline jump. After reading about such a traumatic experience. The author tried ending on a lighter note but I don’t really see the upside to everything that occurred. I kind of want to know what the author’s intentions were with this. Can’t really say if this one is worth recommending. Not that it’s a bad story but I wasn’t left 100% satisfied.
What a beautiful yet eccentric way to express emotions through fictional characters. This novel was a lyrical combination of storytelling and poetry. The writing style was very different than what I’m used to. Lots of fragmented sentences and short paragraphs. But because there were sections that contained poetry I got through this rather quickly.
The novel follows the life of 3 sisters now orphaned after losing their last living parent. Hurt that it seemed nobody wanted to take them in until their mothers brother shows up to save the day. Assuming this would be a good option for them. They soon realize living with their uncle may not be what they expected after all.
Placed into an apartment basically to fend for themselves. While their uncle chose when and how he’d take care of them. Which was rarely ever yet he lived comfortably at their expense. The uncle really irked my nerves because he was mean, controlling, abusive, selfish, and uncaring. Basically taking the girls in was for his own financial gain.
Of all the sisters I felt Kausar got the worst experience being the youngest. No parental guidance caused them all to rely on each other. But that also started to form a wall between them as they struggled through the problems they were facing. Days with no food,
clean clothing, or basic necessities. It’s hard to stick together when you’re struggling to survive.
The author covered some heavy topics from self-discovery, family, gender, depression, identity, physical and emotional abuse, childhood trauma, and sexual assault.
Apart from it seeming to be rushed the ending seemed a bit off with the timeline jump. After reading about such a traumatic experience. The author tried ending on a lighter note but I don’t really see the upside to everything that occurred. I kind of want to know what the author’s intentions were with this. Can’t really say if this one is worth recommending. Not that it’s a bad story but I wasn’t left 100% satisfied.