ficteon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book really gives you an insight about the normal civilian during wartime. The story of the people just wanting to live. Through a memoir style fiction the writer gives us sight into the life of a man living in Aleppo during wartime in Syria. The book discribes the absolute horror of war, and how normal life is impossible because of the people who decided to hurt others. The book describes many hard themes: murder, bombing, young unknowing soldiers, hunger, Divided nation, religieus oppression, sexism, torture, propaganda, corruption and sooo much more so it is a tough book to read.
I didn't give it a five star due to the monotone writing style the book had. Also there was one sentence that didn't hit me the right way as homosexuality was put together with adulterating and thieving. I don't know if the writer actually sees this as wrong but it sounded like it, and I think it's a bit hypocritical to talk about being oppressed during war but then you yourself oppress others willingly too. Maybe I read the sentence wrong but still the book is 4 stars even without this.
A lot of moment is the book really made me so emotional. Definitely because it is a wartime book about something so relevant. World war 2 stories you can always distant yourself from in some way now in 2023 even if the events were horrible as that was in 1940. This book tells the story of a war in 2015.. It hits differently for sure. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn more about the events in Syria. I feel it is good to see this from the eyes of a civilian.
I didn't give it a five star due to the monotone writing style the book had. Also there was one sentence that didn't hit me the right way as homosexuality was put together with adulterating and thieving. I don't know if the writer actually sees this as wrong but it sounded like it, and I think it's a bit hypocritical to talk about being oppressed during war but then you yourself oppress others willingly too. Maybe I read the sentence wrong but still the book is 4 stars even without this.
A lot of moment is the book really made me so emotional. Definitely because it is a wartime book about something so relevant. World war 2 stories you can always distant yourself from in some way now in 2023 even if the events were horrible as that was in 1940. This book tells the story of a war in 2015.. It hits differently for sure. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn more about the events in Syria. I feel it is good to see this from the eyes of a civilian.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Homophobia
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