Reviews

God in Pink by Hasan Namir

bellakoester's review against another edition

5.0

Read this for my gay and lesbian literature class. It was the last book for us to read for the semester. I decided to read the second half at 11:20 at night after work and now I cannot sleep. I devoured the second half in just over an hour and I need time to process before I can sleep. I've been completely moved.

Some of my peers who have the e-book have expressed that their versions don't have the font differences between the two voices and I have no idea how they're reading it without it. It's so vital to the structure and to my understanding of what's going on. So maybe if you tried to read this on an e-reader and didn't like it, try a hard copy. Its a really (tragically) beautiful piece of writing.

rayyash's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm sorry, I really wanted to enjoy this book. When I saw this, I thought it'd be a compelling read. I wanted to read about the experiences of a young Iraqi gay man, struggling with his sexuality, about how issues affect his life. About the experiences of a Sheikh and him torn on helping people and his own beliefs. 

There were important moments, but everything fell flat. A lot of the violence and trauma that happened in Ramy's life were glossed over, and we don't really see how these moments truly impacted him. It just felt underdeveloped. I didn't mind the simple writing of the book, how it was mainly dialogue, but so much wasn't fleshed out. It was going from one situation to another, with not enough explanation of how this might've impacted the character.

The narrative of the Sheikh was a bit stronger, but the visions with divinity just didn't work for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts

eestellar's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Good story, easy read, but it was hard to understand whose point of view we were reading from at times 

magnoliophyta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

febnalae's review against another edition

sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

justmehayleyb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

verimythe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

amn028's review against another edition

4.0

The story of struggling to be yourself and fighting against everything you have been taught. It's a quick read but powerful and emotional

rebeccalcohen's review against another edition

5.0

This book destroyed me in the best way possible. It was full of hope and despair, tragedy, shame, and religious trauma. There was no happy ending for either character, which felt like the only way this story could have ended. The choppy style of writing made the book feel like a fever dream where you’re constantly bouncing from scene to scene and place to place. I know some people in other reviews didn’t like that but I felt like it was the only way to truly show what Ramy was experiencing, as it felt like he could only go through the motions and was never fully present in his life. How could he be, when he saw a close friend and his two lovers murdered for being gay at the very beginning? Overall, I loved this book. It was a short read but I know it will stay with me for years to come.

raccoonjess's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0