eldaaurora97's review against another edition
3.0
"Something about Sabakh seemed different since their arrival in Yafa: Its silence was now secretive. Fareed stared curiously at the stone and thought of the lines. Hold fast thy secret and to none unfold. Lost is a secret when that secret's told" (37)
The book caught my eye when it was first released: a tale of Israeli and Syrian men, a gemstone, taking place in the modern day? It was intriguing, but it took me a year to actually start reading it. My expectations revolved around Menashe and his store having to move, but the blurb discussed about the LGBT scene in Tel Aviv and it closely related more to Menashe's apprentice, Tom.
What I got instead, was an onion unfolding into multiple layers, bouncing towards past and present.
We also have the story of Fareed, a Syrian who smuggles himself into Tel Aviv-Jaffa in order to find about his roots, and to return part of the Sabakh, the blue diamond which Menashe cherishes. While I did appreciate the scenes in which he involves himself in, including the protests in 2011 where he meets Tom and Honi, I thought some of what they addressed was a bit too shallow. It did allow for some good writing, such as with "Still, he had returned. The right of return be damned--he himself returned. It was the return of one individual, but nevertheless a return" (49).
Most of the story covers through different characters throughout the early twentieth century. The story of Gracia, a woman who has a wondrous voice, but wanted to remain a free woman, was particularly intriguing. There's also movements of the Arab and Jewish characters, along with the legend behind the Sabakh. There were also mentions of a necklace with three lines and the Palestinian colors, but I thought it was curious because it seems like a symbol for the book. It relatively seems irrelevant in comparison.
As for Tom, the narrator, I thought it was curious that he was writing a novel of the same topic. I found it to be quite meta, and it was a bit endearing. At the same time, it felt like a bit jarring, because I hardly got a feel of the writing process from Tom.
"There's a frame story. Or a depth story, really. It's about a famous blue diamond, and a Syrian who comes to Israel with part of the diamond in his pocket and ends up in Jaffa." (85)
It's curious, but could've gone more into depth.
The Diamond Setter could've had the makings of an interesting trilogy; while I blew through it relatively quickly, it was also quite short. The interlocking stories are of interest if you are into family drama and the Middle East, though contemporary life is lacking as a trade-off. In the end, there's a lot to unpack, if you have the patience (7/10)
The book caught my eye when it was first released: a tale of Israeli and Syrian men, a gemstone, taking place in the modern day? It was intriguing, but it took me a year to actually start reading it. My expectations revolved around Menashe and his store having to move, but the blurb discussed about the LGBT scene in Tel Aviv and it closely related more to Menashe's apprentice, Tom.
What I got instead, was an onion unfolding into multiple layers, bouncing towards past and present.
We also have the story of Fareed, a Syrian who smuggles himself into Tel Aviv-Jaffa in order to find about his roots, and to return part of the Sabakh, the blue diamond which Menashe cherishes. While I did appreciate the scenes in which he involves himself in, including the protests in 2011 where he meets Tom and Honi, I thought some of what they addressed was a bit too shallow. It did allow for some good writing, such as with "Still, he had returned. The right of return be damned--he himself returned. It was the return of one individual, but nevertheless a return" (49).
Most of the story covers through different characters throughout the early twentieth century. The story of Gracia, a woman who has a wondrous voice, but wanted to remain a free woman, was particularly intriguing. There's also movements of the Arab and Jewish characters, along with the legend behind the Sabakh. There were also mentions of a necklace with three lines and the Palestinian colors, but I thought it was curious because it seems like a symbol for the book. It relatively seems irrelevant in comparison.
As for Tom, the narrator, I thought it was curious that he was writing a novel of the same topic. I found it to be quite meta, and it was a bit endearing. At the same time, it felt like a bit jarring, because I hardly got a feel of the writing process from Tom.
"There's a frame story. Or a depth story, really. It's about a famous blue diamond, and a Syrian who comes to Israel with part of the diamond in his pocket and ends up in Jaffa." (85)
It's curious, but could've gone more into depth.
The Diamond Setter could've had the makings of an interesting trilogy; while I blew through it relatively quickly, it was also quite short. The interlocking stories are of interest if you are into family drama and the Middle East, though contemporary life is lacking as a trade-off. In the end, there's a lot to unpack, if you have the patience (7/10)
fastandfurriest's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? No
3.25
catdad77a45's review
2.0
1.5, rounded up.
Like most who rated this poorly, I was often confused and found a lot of it hard to follow, or just plain uninteresting. The story itself is not only convoluted, but it's poorly told (perhaps badly translated as well?). Worse, the synopsis makes it sound like it revolves around a contemporary Arab/Israeli queer relationship, which is initially what intrigued me, whereas the central relationship is actually about the older generation, and concerns a polyamorous ménage between a man and two women. I can't even really tell you what happens in the end, and by that time, I ceased caring.
Like most who rated this poorly, I was often confused and found a lot of it hard to follow, or just plain uninteresting. The story itself is not only convoluted, but it's poorly told (perhaps badly translated as well?). Worse, the synopsis makes it sound like it revolves around a contemporary Arab/Israeli queer relationship, which is initially what intrigued me, whereas the central relationship is actually about the older generation, and concerns a polyamorous ménage between a man and two women. I can't even really tell you what happens in the end, and by that time, I ceased caring.
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