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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
3.0
Bolbol’s father, on his death bed in Damascus, asks to be buried in the family plot in Aleppo – just a two-hour drive away. Bolbol’s siblings join him on this quest to fulfill their father’s dying wish. The main problem of course is that Syria is a war zone. The absurdity, violence and brutality they encounter works as a kind of front-line reportage of life in contemporary Syria and it’s heartbreaking. It may have been the translation or Khalifa’s style but the writing didn’t fully win me over, however the story and access to a country we hear about but don’t see makes this an incredibly worthwhile read.
noahoha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
munamonji's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
drsa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
vani_in_wonderland_'s review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
a_eterno's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
didn't hit me as much as khalifa's other novel but the atrocity of war and ambivalence was great to read about
bluefelix's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
stitching_ghost's review against another edition
4.0
This one deals in small inner journeys during a larger but somehow almost less significant journey as well as in the small indignities and degradations of dealing with things that are both cruel and somehow absurd. If you're not looking for grandiose revelations and adventures but for the horror in the details this one might work for you. I know that it'll stick with me for a while.
secretbookcase's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
ritaralha's review against another edition
3.0
A silent funeral is a funeral stripped of all its awe, Bolbol thought. Rites and rituals meant nothing now. For the first time, everyone was truly equal in death. The poor and the rich, officers and infantry in the regime’s army, armed squadron commanders, regular soldiers, random passersby, and those who would remain forever anonymous: all were buried with the same pitiful processions. Death wasn’t even a source of distress anymore: it had become an escape much envied by the living.
37/198 – Síria
37/198 – Síria