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marcymurli's review
5.0
Such an eloquent, powerful, and yet quiet novel. The subtlety with which Hawari conveys the devastating consequences of the Palestinian Nakba is weighty. It's poetic. Her characters are finely drawn and deeply compelling. I love the way she weaves together the various family members and their relationship to their home in northern Palestine; how she illustrates the textures of Israeli's ongoing, incremental genocidal apartheid practices from before 1948. The book will leave you with a gaping hole in your heart.
jazzsb's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
leahthenerd's review
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
this made me so sad
nosaltres_les's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
schmar's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
sharkybookshelf's review
2.0
1968, young Mahmoud is about to embark on an historic school trip to the West Bank, setting off the memories of his mother and grandmother.
This is an interesting, if very brief, exploration of the multi-generational and inherited trauma within one family. I really liked that this looked at three generations’ differing experiences and perspectives of the Nakba, including Mahmoud who was born after, but has grown up hearing about it and all that was lost and how that has shaped him. I also particularly appreciated the Bedouin perspective - it’s not one that I seem to come across much.
However, what is an important story (always, but especially right now) was completely let down by the frankly painful writing. All three POVs (Mahmoud, his mother and his grandmother, so very different people) had the exact same voice and it very much felt like a high school writing project. I persevered because at 91 pages, the novel (novella?) is short enough to push through, but as a reader to whom writing really matters, I cannot honestly say that it was really worth doing so.
An interesting but unfortunately painfully-written story of collective memory and the trauma of the Nakba across three generations of one family.
eviegee's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
nadaesmaeel's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
saskiacb's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
The Stone House is a semi-autobiographical novel based on the life of the author’s father, grandmother and great-grandmother. Told in three parts and in three perspectives, Hawari details the experiences of her father as a young boy on a trip to the West Bank with his school friends; her grandmother as a young woman, who was forced to flee Palestine to Lebanon, soon after the Nakba; and her great grandmother’s resistance against Zionist occupation of her home. Through these three accounts, the reader is given a picture of this family’s experience of Israeli occupation, displacement, and the inherent violence of colonialism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Genocide