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erinreadstheworld
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi is a book that slowly comes together. It's full of stories within stories. Stories that meander and that weave through time.
The synopsis says that the book is about three sisters and the different men they marry, but it's about so much more than that.
Celestial Bodies starts with a family tree that I struggled to make sense of. The first few chapters were a little hard for me to follow too. It dives straight into the story and you see the different ways characters interact without knowing why. Patience is definitely needed with this book.
The characters are all connected, with various relationships between them. The family tree didn't make sense to me as I was viewing it through a very Western lense, when families in Oman could be connected in multiple ways through blood and marriage.
This multi generational story is set in the last half of the 20th and it's fascinating to see how much Oman changes in that time. Particularly for the upper class men and how their lives and families change. But it's also interesting to see how amidst all these changes, the women's lives and marriages are still deeply affected by the patriarchy.
The core part of the story, that we keep coming back to, is the birth of Maya's first child and the 40 days that follow. It's a reminder that even in deeply patriarchal societies, it's the women who are the heart of the family. It's the women who create the family and it's relationships. It's a theme that comes up time and time in the book. It really does seem like it's the women who bring everyone together.
If you like multi generational stories that aren't linear, you'll probably enjoy Celestial Bodies. I'd also recommend it for anyone who doesn't care too much about plot and who enjoys getting a glimpse into the lives and thoughts of a range of characters. It's also a great book, full of insight into life in Oman spanning several decades.
The synopsis says that the book is about three sisters and the different men they marry, but it's about so much more than that.
Celestial Bodies starts with a family tree that I struggled to make sense of. The first few chapters were a little hard for me to follow too. It dives straight into the story and you see the different ways characters interact without knowing why. Patience is definitely needed with this book.
The characters are all connected, with various relationships between them. The family tree didn't make sense to me as I was viewing it through a very Western lense, when families in Oman could be connected in multiple ways through blood and marriage.
This multi generational story is set in the last half of the 20th and it's fascinating to see how much Oman changes in that time. Particularly for the upper class men and how their lives and families change. But it's also interesting to see how amidst all these changes, the women's lives and marriages are still deeply affected by the patriarchy.
The core part of the story, that we keep coming back to, is the birth of Maya's first child and the 40 days that follow. It's a reminder that even in deeply patriarchal societies, it's the women who are the heart of the family. It's the women who create the family and it's relationships. It's a theme that comes up time and time in the book. It really does seem like it's the women who bring everyone together.
If you like multi generational stories that aren't linear, you'll probably enjoy Celestial Bodies. I'd also recommend it for anyone who doesn't care too much about plot and who enjoys getting a glimpse into the lives and thoughts of a range of characters. It's also a great book, full of insight into life in Oman spanning several decades.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a brutal portrayal of war, famine and death. It's a devasting look at a family and a country torn apart.
The book spans decades and multiple generations of one family. We see their lives change through the Land Reforms of the Communist government, the occupation of the Japanese after WWII and the Vietnam War.
The stories we hear of the Vietnam War are usually those told by American voices, and it's great that this book gives us a female, Vietnamese perspective. It also covered a lot of history from the mid 20th century that I knew little of. I love when historical fiction teaches me about the world and shows me the human side of history.
The Mountains Sing is full of pain and trauma. And as horrifying as much of the content is (it shows some of the worst ways humans treat each other), the book also shines a light on so many positive aspects of humanity.
There's perseverance of the human spirit. We see the reality people living in war torn places face - having to find ways to endure and live through struggles (which seems like too lighthearted of a word to describe what the characters go through over the decades covered in the book).
The book is also a example of enduring love in families. The relationship between the main narrator, Hương, and her grandmother is beautiful and touching.
The Mountains Sing is a devasting and moving book. The story is complex and the writing brilliantly evocative. This book broke my heart again and again, yet I didn't want to put it down.
If you love family sagas and multi-generational novels you'll love this one. I'd also highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction - especially historical stories told from a perspective that's not often shown.
The book spans decades and multiple generations of one family. We see their lives change through the Land Reforms of the Communist government, the occupation of the Japanese after WWII and the Vietnam War.
The stories we hear of the Vietnam War are usually those told by American voices, and it's great that this book gives us a female, Vietnamese perspective. It also covered a lot of history from the mid 20th century that I knew little of. I love when historical fiction teaches me about the world and shows me the human side of history.
The Mountains Sing is full of pain and trauma. And as horrifying as much of the content is (it shows some of the worst ways humans treat each other), the book also shines a light on so many positive aspects of humanity.
There's perseverance of the human spirit. We see the reality people living in war torn places face - having to find ways to endure and live through struggles (which seems like too lighthearted of a word to describe what the characters go through over the decades covered in the book).
The book is also a example of enduring love in families. The relationship between the main narrator, Hương, and her grandmother is beautiful and touching.
The Mountains Sing is a devasting and moving book. The story is complex and the writing brilliantly evocative. This book broke my heart again and again, yet I didn't want to put it down.
If you love family sagas and multi-generational novels you'll love this one. I'd also highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction - especially historical stories told from a perspective that's not often shown.
The Night Watchman is a fictional story based on Louise Erdrich's grandfather, Patrick Gourneau who was chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Advisory Committee in the 1950s. He fought the bill that sought to terminate American Indians and to remove them from their land.
The termination bills and legislation are something I'd never learnt about, and they are also something that lots of Americans apparently know little about. The Night Watchman immortilises the story of Louise Erdrich's grandfather, as well as shining light on a part of American history that is often swept under the rug.
The characters are memorable, compassionate and complicated. Their stories are beautifully intertwined. I really appreciated the insight into the lives and beliefs of the Chippewa people.
The book is political and spiritual. It's moving and personal. It shows the importance of community, both on a personal level and on a much larger scale.
The book is really insightful and quite inspiring. It brings a voice to people that the government constantly tries to silence.
Louise Erdrich inherited letters that her grandfather wrote during the 1950s and she wrote The Night Watchman as a tribute to him and his life. You can feel her passion for the characters and the story. It absolutely shines throughout the book.
This is a really important and superb piece of literary fiction. And while it's based on events that happened in the 1950's so much of the book is still so relevant today.
The termination bills and legislation are something I'd never learnt about, and they are also something that lots of Americans apparently know little about. The Night Watchman immortilises the story of Louise Erdrich's grandfather, as well as shining light on a part of American history that is often swept under the rug.
The characters are memorable, compassionate and complicated. Their stories are beautifully intertwined. I really appreciated the insight into the lives and beliefs of the Chippewa people.
The book is political and spiritual. It's moving and personal. It shows the importance of community, both on a personal level and on a much larger scale.
The book is really insightful and quite inspiring. It brings a voice to people that the government constantly tries to silence.
Louise Erdrich inherited letters that her grandfather wrote during the 1950s and she wrote The Night Watchman as a tribute to him and his life. You can feel her passion for the characters and the story. It absolutely shines throughout the book.
This is a really important and superb piece of literary fiction. And while it's based on events that happened in the 1950's so much of the book is still so relevant today.
I feel like Akwaeke Emezi brings so much of themselves to this book. Like Vivek Oji they have a Nigerian father and an Indian mother. They both grew up in places where gender and identity weren't fluid, while identifying outside of this binary.
The Death of Vivek Oji is a heartbreaking book. It has such a gradual sadness that slowly seeps into the pages. By the end I was sobbing. It was way past my bedtime but I couldn't go to bed without finishing the last 50 pages.
Vivek is dead from the very first line of the book, yet the book brims with the life of Vivek Oji.
The chapters from Vivek were almost my favourite part of the book. The close friendships that are formed in the second half of the book were very touching too.
The book is about friendship, trust and grief. It's about religion and clashing cultures. It's about queer sexuality, gender identity exploration and becoming the person that truly feels like you.
Apart from Vivek, his mother Kavita was a standout character. She's absolutely wreaked with grief throughout the book. Her grief over losing her child is all-consuming. We see her struggle with letting other people grieve for Vivek. It's an uncomfortable reminder that parents don't own their child. That parents have no control over who their children grow into or who they interact with in the world around them. And like the synopsis says: what does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew?
When Vivek's parents spoke about how they expected their son to look, act and behave I wondered how many similar conversations Akwaeke Emezi had overheard or been forced to listen to. And I know this isn't a book about Emezi, but because of their own gender identification every exploration of gender and sexuality is done tenderly and with so much empathy.
This is a stunning and sublime book, full of unforgettable characters and a story that is utterly engrossing.
The Death of Vivek Oji is a heartbreaking book. It has such a gradual sadness that slowly seeps into the pages. By the end I was sobbing. It was way past my bedtime but I couldn't go to bed without finishing the last 50 pages.
Vivek is dead from the very first line of the book, yet the book brims with the life of Vivek Oji.
The chapters from Vivek were almost my favourite part of the book. The close friendships that are formed in the second half of the book were very touching too.
The book is about friendship, trust and grief. It's about religion and clashing cultures. It's about queer sexuality, gender identity exploration and becoming the person that truly feels like you.
Apart from Vivek, his mother Kavita was a standout character. She's absolutely wreaked with grief throughout the book. Her grief over losing her child is all-consuming. We see her struggle with letting other people grieve for Vivek. It's an uncomfortable reminder that parents don't own their child. That parents have no control over who their children grow into or who they interact with in the world around them. And like the synopsis says: what does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew?
When Vivek's parents spoke about how they expected their son to look, act and behave I wondered how many similar conversations Akwaeke Emezi had overheard or been forced to listen to. And I know this isn't a book about Emezi, but because of their own gender identification every exploration of gender and sexuality is done tenderly and with so much empathy.
This is a stunning and sublime book, full of unforgettable characters and a story that is utterly engrossing.
So many people told me I had to read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I wish I had listened earlier because it's such an amazing book. It's the kind of book I want to hug when I think about it now. The kind of book that I wanted to savour and stay lost in, equally as much as I couldn't put it down.
Yaa Gyasi is beyond talented. Homegoing is an epic family saga. Spanning nearly 300 years and 7 generations, the novel gives such a clear, beautiful and painful insight into each of its characters. From mid 1700s to modern day, we follow two families who are seperated but eternally connected. The story starts with two sisters - one who married a wealthy Englishman in the business of selling slaves, the other who is sold into slavery - and then follows their descendants and their starkly different lives in Ghana and in America.
It's not an easy read and I don't even know how many times my heart was broken. But the stories in the book were and are still experience by countless people, and they are stories that deserve to be told.
I'm blown away by Yaa Gyasi's skills at weaving together stories. We only get to hear from a character for one chapter, yet somehow Gyasi conveys so much about each characters' dreams and fears, hopes and hurts. I loved how you knew about characters before you got to their specific chapter - seeing them first as a child, then as an adult. The understanding I had for each side of the family grew in each chapter. Themes, family trauma and some family traits were expanded on with each generation.
In staying that, I was also very thankful for the family tree at the front of the book. Seven generations of two sides of a family is a lot to keep track of, so I was glad I could flip back and make sure I had my bearings.
Homegoing is beautiful, moving, touching and powerful. It's engaging, emotive, it's evocative and deeply engrossing. It's everything a great book should be. It's a book that is surrounded by so much hype but it's deserving of every single ounce of it. If any asks me for a book recommendation, you can bet that Homegoing will be one of my first suggestions.
Yaa Gyasi is beyond talented. Homegoing is an epic family saga. Spanning nearly 300 years and 7 generations, the novel gives such a clear, beautiful and painful insight into each of its characters. From mid 1700s to modern day, we follow two families who are seperated but eternally connected. The story starts with two sisters - one who married a wealthy Englishman in the business of selling slaves, the other who is sold into slavery - and then follows their descendants and their starkly different lives in Ghana and in America.
It's not an easy read and I don't even know how many times my heart was broken. But the stories in the book were and are still experience by countless people, and they are stories that deserve to be told.
I'm blown away by Yaa Gyasi's skills at weaving together stories. We only get to hear from a character for one chapter, yet somehow Gyasi conveys so much about each characters' dreams and fears, hopes and hurts. I loved how you knew about characters before you got to their specific chapter - seeing them first as a child, then as an adult. The understanding I had for each side of the family grew in each chapter. Themes, family trauma and some family traits were expanded on with each generation.
In staying that, I was also very thankful for the family tree at the front of the book. Seven generations of two sides of a family is a lot to keep track of, so I was glad I could flip back and make sure I had my bearings.
Homegoing is beautiful, moving, touching and powerful. It's engaging, emotive, it's evocative and deeply engrossing. It's everything a great book should be. It's a book that is surrounded by so much hype but it's deserving of every single ounce of it. If any asks me for a book recommendation, you can bet that Homegoing will be one of my first suggestions.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is a disturbing but beautifully written book. It delves into the dark past and present of life in Mississippi. The majority of the book is set after Hurricane Katrina, yet it felt like segregation had only just stopped being a thing.
Sing, Unburied, Sing is gritty and not recommended for the faint hearted. The opening chapter starts with the slaughtering of a goat, one character vomits on and off through a large portion of the book, there's a near miss with an overdose, and an anxiety-inducing encounter with roadside police - and that's just scratching the surface.
It's a book full of pain and suffering. Race and class issues are central to the story, as is the injustice of the American prison system.
I think the book gives a glimpse of reality for many Americans living below the poverty line, dealing with racial prejudice and drug addiction. However one of the storylines in the book is told through the perspective of a ghost. I really liked the use of magical realism to connect the past and the present, and to show the strength of family ties, but if may not be everyone's cup of tea.
My heart ached for nearly everyone in the book, but particularly for JoJo. He's such a sweet big brother and was faced with so many hardships.
Much of the subject matter isn't easy to read but Sing, Unburied, Sing has so many things I look for in a good book - beautiful writing that swept me up in the story, and characters that show me perspectives and lives that are vastly different to my own.
Sing, Unburied, Sing is gritty and not recommended for the faint hearted. The opening chapter starts with the slaughtering of a goat, one character vomits on and off through a large portion of the book, there's a near miss with an overdose, and an anxiety-inducing encounter with roadside police - and that's just scratching the surface.
It's a book full of pain and suffering. Race and class issues are central to the story, as is the injustice of the American prison system.
I think the book gives a glimpse of reality for many Americans living below the poverty line, dealing with racial prejudice and drug addiction. However one of the storylines in the book is told through the perspective of a ghost. I really liked the use of magical realism to connect the past and the present, and to show the strength of family ties, but if may not be everyone's cup of tea.
My heart ached for nearly everyone in the book, but particularly for JoJo. He's such a sweet big brother and was faced with so many hardships.
Much of the subject matter isn't easy to read but Sing, Unburied, Sing has so many things I look for in a good book - beautiful writing that swept me up in the story, and characters that show me perspectives and lives that are vastly different to my own.
Tara June Winch knows how to write. Her words are lyrical and beautifully descriptive. Her stories are touching and eye-opening. Her characters feel real.
Tara June Winch also knows how to evoke feelings with her writing. Swallow The Air is short but it made me feel sad, disgusted, angry and hopeful - just to name a few.
We see chapters of May's life as she searches for her absent father and as she tries to piece together her Aboriginal heritage. Each chapter reads almost like a short story. They could easily stand alone but together they create a masterpiece.
Swallow The Air is a story of loss, of generational trauma and displacement. We see the deep sorrow of May and of Aboriginal people in Australia, but it's all told with so much tenderness and care.
I love the way Tara June Winch paints such a vivid picture with her writing. The beaches near Wollongong, Redfern, outback NSW and the vastness of the Northern Territory all come to life throughout the book.
Swallow The Air won many awards and it is so deserving of every single one. It's a moving, poignant and stunning coming of age story. If you haven't read any of Tara's books yet, you need to. They are all amazing and I'll be first in line for any future book/s she writes.
Tara June Winch also knows how to evoke feelings with her writing. Swallow The Air is short but it made me feel sad, disgusted, angry and hopeful - just to name a few.
We see chapters of May's life as she searches for her absent father and as she tries to piece together her Aboriginal heritage. Each chapter reads almost like a short story. They could easily stand alone but together they create a masterpiece.
Swallow The Air is a story of loss, of generational trauma and displacement. We see the deep sorrow of May and of Aboriginal people in Australia, but it's all told with so much tenderness and care.
I love the way Tara June Winch paints such a vivid picture with her writing. The beaches near Wollongong, Redfern, outback NSW and the vastness of the Northern Territory all come to life throughout the book.
Swallow The Air won many awards and it is so deserving of every single one. It's a moving, poignant and stunning coming of age story. If you haven't read any of Tara's books yet, you need to. They are all amazing and I'll be first in line for any future book/s she writes.
"I should have chosen the moment before the arrival of my children, for since then I've lost the option of dying. The sharp smell of their sun-baked hair, the smell of sweat on their backs when they wake from a nightmare, the dusty smell of their hands when they leave a classroom, meant that I had to live, to be dazzled by the shadow of their eyelashes, moved by a snowflake, bowled over by a tear on their cheek. My children have given me the exclusive power to blow on a wound to make the pain disappear, to understand words unpronounced, to possess the universal truth, to be a fairy. A fairy smitten with the way they smell."
I don't often include quotes in my book reviews, but ohh this one hits hard.
Ru is a beautiful and moving story.
It's fiction but is heavily based on Kim Thúy's own life. Through the main character we see her experiences being born in Vietnam during the war, fleeing the country by boat, life in a refugee camp in Malaysia and her family eventually settling in Canada. Intertwined through the book we also see her musings on motherhood, on Vietnamese family traditions, on language and more.
The story is told through vignettes, that jump through time and from country to country. Each word is carefully chosen to pack a punch. Each vignette paints a vivid picture, creating a rich reading experience. Ru is a short book and Kim Thúy is able to say so much with so few words.
I don't often include quotes in my book reviews, but ohh this one hits hard.
Ru is a beautiful and moving story.
It's fiction but is heavily based on Kim Thúy's own life. Through the main character we see her experiences being born in Vietnam during the war, fleeing the country by boat, life in a refugee camp in Malaysia and her family eventually settling in Canada. Intertwined through the book we also see her musings on motherhood, on Vietnamese family traditions, on language and more.
The story is told through vignettes, that jump through time and from country to country. Each word is carefully chosen to pack a punch. Each vignette paints a vivid picture, creating a rich reading experience. Ru is a short book and Kim Thúy is able to say so much with so few words.
How do I even begin to do justice to this exceptional book?
Against The Loveless World is a novel told completely from the perspective of Nahr, telling her story on her terms while locked in the Cube (a specially designed cell, holding her in solitary confinement in Israel).
Born in Kuwait to parents forced to flee Palestine, we hear the story of Nahr's life. We follow as she grows from a child, to a young and jilted wife. We watch as she supports her family through prostitution, and see how she came to be in the Cube.
Nahr is strong, resilient. She is full of grit and loyalty to her family, her friends and her identity as a Palestinian. She lives unapologetically and has a dark sense of humour. Her life is one full of trauma, yet there is love and joy too.
Through her story we see the plight of refugees and the heartbreak of exile. We see the complete injustice of life for Palestinians who didn't flee and who live in forced occupation. We see the absurd and cruel ways their lives have been colonised.
Against The Loveless World is seeped in history, from the 70s through to the current day. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait forces Nahr and her families to become refugees again, and they try and rebuild their lives in Jordan. We see the mass migration of Palestinians in the Middle East and the impacts on the Palestinian diaspora.
The book is full of devastating scenes but I found the one in the olive grove particularly heart-wrenching. Especially since it's just one example of the countless attacks that occur on innocent people trying to stick to their traditional ways of life.
Susan Abulhawa asks: What are the stories that history tells? From the western perspective, it's certainly not this one. Nahr sees Saddam Hussein as her hero and that is a sentiment I've never heard in western media.
Susan Abulhawa's writing is gripping and lyrical. It's raw and real. It's storytelling done to perfection.
Against The Loveless World tells a story of survival, resistance and family. A story of Palestinian culture, love and the human spirit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Against The Loveless World is a novel told completely from the perspective of Nahr, telling her story on her terms while locked in the Cube (a specially designed cell, holding her in solitary confinement in Israel).
Born in Kuwait to parents forced to flee Palestine, we hear the story of Nahr's life. We follow as she grows from a child, to a young and jilted wife. We watch as she supports her family through prostitution, and see how she came to be in the Cube.
Nahr is strong, resilient. She is full of grit and loyalty to her family, her friends and her identity as a Palestinian. She lives unapologetically and has a dark sense of humour. Her life is one full of trauma, yet there is love and joy too.
Through her story we see the plight of refugees and the heartbreak of exile. We see the complete injustice of life for Palestinians who didn't flee and who live in forced occupation. We see the absurd and cruel ways their lives have been colonised.
Against The Loveless World is seeped in history, from the 70s through to the current day. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait forces Nahr and her families to become refugees again, and they try and rebuild their lives in Jordan. We see the mass migration of Palestinians in the Middle East and the impacts on the Palestinian diaspora.
The book is full of devastating scenes but I found the one in the olive grove particularly heart-wrenching. Especially since it's just one example of the countless attacks that occur on innocent people trying to stick to their traditional ways of life.
Susan Abulhawa asks: What are the stories that history tells? From the western perspective, it's certainly not this one. Nahr sees Saddam Hussein as her hero and that is a sentiment I've never heard in western media.
Susan Abulhawa's writing is gripping and lyrical. It's raw and real. It's storytelling done to perfection.
Against The Loveless World tells a story of survival, resistance and family. A story of Palestinian culture, love and the human spirit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐