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agirlnamedellie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Amazing read. I knew when I cried at the end of the first chapter that this would be an emotional and heart breaking read. It also puts a strong focus on grief and the toll that extreme circumstances and loss can effects ones body in many different ways. really liked how the author incorporated the present day with the flashbacks of the past but using a word that interlinked the two. I hadn't seen that done before but really liked how it made the transition between the time frames so smooth. There are many difficult but important aspects to this book but it is a story I think everyone should read to help people understand the struggles refugees face and journeys that refugees have to make. I actually think this would be an excellent book for students to study in schools if it isn't already being studied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War
bipodial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.75
Beautifully written. The author does an amazing job at getting you invested in the characters and their journey. An unflinching look at the ugly reality of seeking refuge in another country.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Trafficking
georgiam06's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Just incredible
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Rape and Trafficking
fsb95's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
A gripping insight into the reality of refugees, with complex characters to fall in love with. The author brings the varied settings to life, perfectly balancing scene-setting and plot progression with the intriguing though often troubled thoughts of the unreliable narrator.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy so much was that the author opted for the flashback, flashforward style of narration, where chapters alternate between the past and the present. I’m not in love with that narrative style at the best of times; but with this book in particular I felt it got in the way of things.
The fictitious nature of Mohammed in particular would have worked much better had the story been fully chronological, because the surreal nature of Nuri’s interactions with an imaginary Mohammed in the “present” made me suspect practically from the get-go that he was never real to begin with.
Overall, though, this book is a page-turner and a must-read for anyone who loves lifelike stories about lives so radically different from our “ordinary”, fortunate lives.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy so much was that the author opted for the flashback, flashforward style of narration, where chapters alternate between the past and the present. I’m not in love with that narrative style at the best of times; but with this book in particular I felt it got in the way of things.
Overall, though, this book is a page-turner and a must-read for anyone who loves lifelike stories about lives so radically different from our “ordinary”, fortunate lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, and War
Minor: Child abuse
lmaccabee's review against another edition
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and War
Minor: Child abuse and Trafficking
samdalefox's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is an excellent book for people of Western priviledge to read (meaning: a person from a white colonialist country such as the UK, who has not felt the devestation of war within their homeland for many generations). The book was written drawing on the experiences of real-life Syrian refugees that the author was working with abroad. I think the way this book is written serves to be widely-palletable of the target audience described above. The book describes many of the horrors, humiliations, and tragedies Syrian refugees have faced (and continue to face) on their escape from their country, yet it does so in a santised way. This is both a pro, in that the important messages the author is trying to convey reaches a wider audience. But it's also a con; my major disappointment with the story is that it often felt superficial or sanitised. I could tell it wasn't written by someone with first hand experience since it lacked a rawness you hear in people who have survived life-altering trauma.
Why it is a good book for priviledged white European's to read:
Why it is a good book for priviledged white European's to read:
- It paint refugees as humans. There is a strong human element throughout the book, describing people in detail and their connections to their family and homeland (exemplified in Mustafa and the apiary).
- Gives an accurate description of the limited choices people are faced with when fleeing war - known violence and death at home, or unknown violence and potential death as you flee.
- It gives an indication of the types of violences and indignities that refugees face (dangerious travel, traffikers, homelessness etc.)
- It gives an excellent indication of trauma related mental illnesses
through Nuri's depression, insomnia, and PTSD, and Afra's psychosomatic blindness. I was particularly impressed with how the book dealt with Afra's condition. - It combats a lot of the diabolical mainstream media bollocks we have in England about refugees. The book highlights just how shit a country we are at supporting and welcoming refugees, this is particularly clear through describing the inhumane asylum seekers' process.
Overall, a story with poignant messages, but a bit too neat and tidy for me personally. I prefer to read non-fiction accounts first hand from refugees. Below is my favourite quote from the book. It emphasises how inherently nature works together for the greater good, and yet us as humans work against that feeling and each other, creating senseless misery and suffering through war.
"People are not like bees. We do not work together, we have no real sense of a greater good".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, and Trafficking
Humiliation and belittling experience of the UK asylum seeking process.thalianni's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and War
Moderate: Trafficking
veganecurrywurst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
This book is just so sorrowful and harrowing. It tells the story of Afra and Nuri and how they are forced to flee their home. In contrast to other stories about refugees, this one focuses on the mental trauma that many refugees and asylum seekers have to deal with (which is often forgotten). The author has such a beautiful writing style.
I hope more people read this book.
We HAVE to create Safe Refuge Routes to Europe.
I hope more people read this book.
We HAVE to create Safe Refuge Routes to Europe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder
beataf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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
3.0
very emotional, dark, personal novel on the journey of one syrian couple who become refugees. i really liked being exposed to this perspective, and i learned a lot, but i think its not the strongest writing overall
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Grief
The characters are refugees of a brutal war and go on a brutal journey to escape, so they see and experience many horrible things - expect accordingly.mirrie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and War