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_askthebookbug 's review for:
The Weight of Our Sky
by Hanna Alkaf
• r e v i e w •
Trigger warning: Death, violence, OCD, racism.
"But when you are fighting for your rice bowl, you don't think about how many hands were needed to grow the grain. You only think about who's out to steal your portion. " - Hanna Alkaf.
The Weight of Our Sky depicts the horrors of the 1969 race riots that resulted in many deaths and brutal violence. The Chinese and Malays took to the streets and began hurting each other mercilessly while also burning their shops and houses down. Although this book serves as a historical fiction, it also does a spectacular job in portraying what it must be like to live with OCD. The protagonist, a teenager named Melati names her syndrome as Djinn, a constant voice in her head that controls her actions. It is through Melati's life that we witness the riots, and when at times the grief becomes too much to handle, she grants us bits of hope.
Melati and her best friend Safiya are separated at the movies, when a mob of armed men break into the theatre. The Chinese hunt down the Malays and vice versa and so without Saf around, a not too old Chinese woman takes Melati under her wing. The City is under an emergency and Melati has no way of going home. Living with her rescuer, Auntie Bee, she learns how not to fall for the differences but to rather help each other. Her OCD becomes a constant presence around this time, flashing in gruesome pictures of her mother. But Melati's unexpected friendship with Vincent soothes her nerves to an extent.
Amidst all the hate, there's also compassion and so this story leaves us with hope. The Weight of Our Sky is a fast paced read, one that has the right amount of characters in it. The mental illness is spoken about in great detail and it pained me to see Melati trying to keep pushing back the Djinn in her head. Through all that grimness blossoms friendship, sacrifice and love; the qualities that makes us all human. I only wish that the book wasn't so rushed. It also felt repetitive in few places but if you keep that aside, The Weight of Our Sky is a wonderful and informative read.
4.2/5.
Trigger warning: Death, violence, OCD, racism.
"But when you are fighting for your rice bowl, you don't think about how many hands were needed to grow the grain. You only think about who's out to steal your portion. " - Hanna Alkaf.
The Weight of Our Sky depicts the horrors of the 1969 race riots that resulted in many deaths and brutal violence. The Chinese and Malays took to the streets and began hurting each other mercilessly while also burning their shops and houses down. Although this book serves as a historical fiction, it also does a spectacular job in portraying what it must be like to live with OCD. The protagonist, a teenager named Melati names her syndrome as Djinn, a constant voice in her head that controls her actions. It is through Melati's life that we witness the riots, and when at times the grief becomes too much to handle, she grants us bits of hope.
Melati and her best friend Safiya are separated at the movies, when a mob of armed men break into the theatre. The Chinese hunt down the Malays and vice versa and so without Saf around, a not too old Chinese woman takes Melati under her wing. The City is under an emergency and Melati has no way of going home. Living with her rescuer, Auntie Bee, she learns how not to fall for the differences but to rather help each other. Her OCD becomes a constant presence around this time, flashing in gruesome pictures of her mother. But Melati's unexpected friendship with Vincent soothes her nerves to an extent.
Amidst all the hate, there's also compassion and so this story leaves us with hope. The Weight of Our Sky is a fast paced read, one that has the right amount of characters in it. The mental illness is spoken about in great detail and it pained me to see Melati trying to keep pushing back the Djinn in her head. Through all that grimness blossoms friendship, sacrifice and love; the qualities that makes us all human. I only wish that the book wasn't so rushed. It also felt repetitive in few places but if you keep that aside, The Weight of Our Sky is a wonderful and informative read.
4.2/5.