Reviews

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat

nerdyrev's review

5.0

If it were not for Book Riot’s All the Books Podcast, this book would not have been on my radar. One of the hosts, Liberty, said this is a book she has read 10 times so far this year. I usually trust her picks, so I grabbed it the first chance I could.

What a strange little book!

I have been sitting at the keyboard trying to think of how to describe this book- do I focus on plot? On characters? On overall theme? And still am unsure where to begin with this as one of my goals is to convince you this is a good book, but there is nothing within any of the things mentioned above which will do that, even though it is a good book.

The book largely centers on an Ethiopian girl, her father, and a mysterious hustler named Ayale, who runs the local parking lot, which seems to have more cars in it than it can hold. Our protagonist is drawn to Ayale and her father is not happy about it.

Ayale is very mysterious and there is a wonderful chapter where our protagonist lists all the things she knows and doesn’t know about him. He is opinionated, seems to sleep with tons of women, and has lots of friends who come and go often.

As the relationship grows, our protagonist, become a courier for Ayale delivering mysterious packages for not quite small amount of money. While she likes Ayale, her trust begins to wane as she realizes she does not know what is in these packages and Ethiopians in Boston keep getting murdered around the neighborhood. The question is what exactly is our protagonist doing for Ayale?

As I read the book, I too kept being drawn to Ayale. Tamirat has written a truly remarkable character who lures the reader in with his opinions, his strange lifestyle choices, and his job. It is strange, but for me, the plot became secondary as I wanted to spend more time with Ayale.

The one distracting part of the book is Tamirat will go into a conversation with two people by having a quick back and forth and doesn’t let the reader know which person is speaking. If you lose count, you will forget exactly who is speaking and often times I had to go back to re-read the conversation. Part of it is the writing is so good and the conversation draws one in.

Definitely read this one with an open mind and knowing the book may not be for you. I wound up loving it though, largely due to Ayale.

jessicabolin's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

cami19's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

virginiamcc's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

cynicalworm's review

3.0

An ambitious novel which delights, but also falters.

margaretefg's review

2.0

I wanted to like this book but I guess I just didn't get it. I enjoyed all the low key references to the Ethiopian immigrant community, but I couldn't understand the narrator's interest in and devotion to Ayale and I couldn't really buy the premise about the new country... If it's a premise we're supposed to accept... Not sure.

bthnywhthd's review

4.0

This was a beautiful story of a young unnamed protagonist finding her way in the world and determining who she can trust and who is not as they seem. I really liked the descriptions and details of the challenge of sticking together among a cultural group. Super well written, interesting characters, and a unique plot. Great read.

k8iedid's review

4.0

Ok it jumps around a little bit. And Ok the main character and her father are never named. But this story has one of my favorite types of characters, and it's revealed in such a glorious magical way that I was ALL IN as soon as this little gem was revealed. If you don't want me to spoil those juicy bits, go read the book. If you want to know, keep reading my spoilers below.

The Parking Lot attendant is running a hustle! It's PERFECT! I love thieves and cons who operate riiiiiight on the other side of wrong (please leave all reccos in the comments), so I just had to find out his story. Tamirat is a great writer, thought I've read some complaints about the tightness of the editing in other reviews - that didn't bother me, maybe because I did an audio book.

So then once we had the attendant's hustle, I HAD to find out where the book was going. It got surprisingly dark, and I happened to be at the grocery store as we cruised into the finish. I gasped AUDIBLY at the ending, which felt like one of those old Buckle Your Seatbelt PSAs that aired during commercial breaks of the cartoons I watched as a kid. I. was. not. ready.

It's a great book.

steph_davidson's review

4.0

DNF. Abandoned around 55%.

dillarhonda's review

When a fourteen-year-old girl unwittingly joins a shadowy organization of Ethiopian immigrants, she sets into motion a series of events that will eventually force her to flee the United States. The unnamed narrator of Nafkote Tamirat’s debut novel The Parking Lot Attendant falls under the spell of the mysterious titular character and believes him to be her only friend. With endless wads of cash, connections to every Ethiopian in Boston, and a talent for political sparring, Ayale is a significant improvement on her absent mother and emotionally distant father. As she gets drawn further and further into his world, she begins to realize that Ayale may be more sinister than he appears. Tamirat’s less than thrilling thriller dwells too long on the loneliness of its characters and never illuminates the inscrutable political plot at its center.