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tlaynejones's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and War
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality
annemaries_shelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm emotionally destroyed.
The contrast between the beautiful writing with its heavy magical realism elements and the brutal realities of living through the Islamic Revolution of Iran was striking.
While ostensibly about one family's experiences from 1979 through to modern day (though time is a little weird and it's hard to gauge exactly where in history events are occurring), it much more about the village, the people, and Iranian society at large.
So much of this book is a metaphor and/or meditation on art and culture, grief and death, revolution and change, family, healing and harm, nature and spirituality.
At times it's meandering, as we will expand out beyond our main characters and narrator, to other residents of the village or events far in the past that inform the present. So much of the book is talking about the loss of history and culture when revolution (any upheaval really) denies a society's past and deems it worth destruction. Similar things can be send for the inevitability of progress and the modern world's need to expand and encroach into traditional ways of life and natural environments.
In manner ways modernity is the antithesis of magical realism - modernity and the drive for capitalism, religious orthodoxy, tyranny, autocracy, and control destroys centuries-old traditions, mythologies, and non-human inhabitants of our world (whether they be animals, or ghosts and jinns).
I teared up towards the end - the senseless destruction of personal property, family history, and culture in the name of a regime, religion, or other purpose is awful and heartbreaking and all too real. I also found the last assault against two of the characters to be really hard to handle. In part because I'd been reading a lot of heavy things recently and my threshold as almost breached, but also because it reflects reality.
Overall, I really loved this book. I'm sad I didn't pick it up two years ago when I bought it, but it was worth the wait. The writing was so, so beautiful (I tabbed so many sections) and the musings on art and culture were wonderful. If you're interested in this time period of Iranian history, I really recommend picking it up. The author is a political refugee, and I think it's strongly reflected in her characters' and their experiences/perspectives of living through the Revolution.
CW: sexual assault, death, torture, imprisonment, religiously-justified tyranny, death by fire, child death
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Pregnancy
sincitylibrarian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, and War
jessamynb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
literaturenut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, and Torture
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
ohlhauc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I absolutely loved this story! The writing was poetic yet straightforward, dark but hopeful. The magic realism was also done exceptionally well and imbued the characters' stories with an enchanting quality that helped to recover from the dark scenes. And there were dark scenes as this novel touches on several violent moments in Iranian history as well as heartbreaking reactions of characters to trauma.
While perspectives of multiple characters were shared, which is usually a narrative style I don't love, it worked here. Each characters' "chapter" felt complete in and of themselves so there weren't any loose ends, while still giving enough depth to feel a connection to the characters and feel the stakes at hand.
That said, there were a few things that weren't perfect for me. One is that there were a few moments that were totally random, just as one character
Even though it wasn't perfect, this is a story that I will think about for years. It hooked me from page one and gave me the same feelings I had whilst reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is one of my favourite books of all time. In fact, the latter is mentioned a few times in this novel and there are quite a few similarities (although enough differences to prevent a direct comparison).
I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
steelfern's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Grief