UGH, this book had so much potential! But in my opinion, it fell incredibly flat.

First of all, I didn’t like the way this book was written at all. There were so many run on sentences. SO. MANY. The sentence structure was also very difficult to follow and I found myself reworking the text for better flow in my head, which really slowed down my reading.

I also didn’t really care for the way that this storyline was organized. It seemed very scattered and distracted; like this wasn't a final draft and that bits of the story were missing or out of place.

How much this book jumped around kept throwing me for a loop. There were many times that I had to restart the section to see if I had missed something. When I realized we had jumped to a random new character, I was left thinking, “Why should I care about that scene?” I kept hoping that everything would tie together soon. On a couple of occasions, it did. But for the vast majority, it did not. At least not clearly. Which left me again feeling like this was a rough draft.

The very first scene where a strange jump happened that I actually thought flowed pretty well in regard to the story and added more depth rather than seeming random was on page 109. However, this whole scene was one quick transition sentence followed by ONE MASSIVE sentence the spread over three pages... Why?

Then of course there were the characters. I really wanted to pull for the main characters, Nadia and Saeed, but I just didn't find them interesting at all. Reading about their relationship wasn't heartwarming to me, it was dull. I did appreciate the fact that the two fell in love during time of unrest, and that there was always a level of respect in their relationship, no matter what stage they were in. But the rest was just so dry and a bit tedious. I wanted to learn a little bit more about them and each of their personalities. But as they were portrayed, they just felt so one-dimensional.

The storyline itself just didn't hold my interest. I was quite bored when the two main characters met and started courting one another. Things got a little tense with the violence that was occurring, and to be honest, I had kind of been hoping that it would get a little grittier. But then suddenly there is mention of doors that can take you to another place. I started feeling hopeful that this was where the story would take a turn and hook me! Well, it certainly took a turn, but not in a good way. The storyline after the doors made their appearance was even more boring to me.

I hate to be so negative... But when I find a book that I truly do not like, it's pretty rare! And of course I have to be honest.

Definitely just not a book for me. I had no interest in picking it up once I had set it down. While reading I really struggled to stay engaged with the story both because of the writing style and the overall plot.

If this wasn't a book club pick, I would have DNFed in the first chapter. I honestly just couldn't recommend this one. Though I am looking forward to hearing what my bookclub as to say about it!

To end on a positive note though, here are my favorite passages:
War would soon erode the facade of their building as though it had accelerated time itself, the day’s toll outpacing that of a decade.

She learned how to dress for self-protection, how to best deal with aggressive men and with the police, and with aggressive men who were the police, and always to trust her instincts about situations to avoid or to exit immediately.

One’s relationship to windows now changed in the city. A window was the border through which death was possibly most likely to come.

The agent spoke softly, almost sweetly, his whisper bringing to mind that of a poet or a psychopath.

Once they met an acquaintance of Saeed’s and this seemed an almost impossible and happy coincidence, like two leaves blown from the same tree by a hurricane landing on top of each other far away, and it cheered Saeed greatly.