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saint_eleanor's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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
4.0
This was really really sweet and enjoyable
I wanted to like it more than i did but i was kind of Tee’d up for a magical realism story and this really wasn’t that. Therefore i kept holding onto details that weren’t really relevantfor instance i was really excited about the talking kangaroo and when his skin started coming off his forehead?? And the sleep paralysis demon. None of which are part of the story at all.
It seemed very possibly autobiographical despite being a ‘novel’, about a young gay muslim man in diaspora from Lebanon living in Australia. Coming of age story fs.
It’s pretty sad but also not like devastating or anything just about the intricacies of family and religion and culture which of course are always hard. The ending is sweet and hopeful and you kind of just follow him as he grows up.
The author’s writing style is also lovely.
P.s. Omar Sakr is doing cool poetry/writing and stuff rn in support of Palestine and Lebanon so thats sick
I wanted to like it more than i did but i was kind of Tee’d up for a magical realism story and this really wasn’t that. Therefore i kept holding onto details that weren’t really relevant
It seemed very possibly autobiographical despite being a ‘novel’, about a young gay muslim man in diaspora from Lebanon living in Australia. Coming of age story fs.
It’s pretty sad but also not like devastating or anything just about the intricacies of family and religion and culture which of course are always hard. The ending is sweet and hopeful and you kind of just follow him as he grows up.
The author’s writing style is also lovely.
P.s. Omar Sakr is doing cool poetry/writing and stuff rn in support of Palestine and Lebanon so thats sick
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
graphic consensual sex, and like brief mention of incest, intense homophobia throughout the whole thingscops_xyz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Islamophobia
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
jouljet's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
nibs's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was the April pick of a queer literature book club I am in. I'd enjoyed Omar Sakr's contribution to the short story collection After Australia and was keen to read more of his work. When we met up for bookclub, I still had about 30 pages left, but I was able to enjoy the discussion and not feel spoiled due to the nature of his writing. The writing isn't plot-based, its more following a character through his own experiences.
You can tell this book is written by a poet. It is so carefully worded, with so much packed into some sentences in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it way. It felt like we were going back over Jamal's experiences with him. Reading about him as a bi man and seeing how queerness was viewed in the varying intersections of his cultures (Muslim expectations, Lebanese and Turkish cultures). Finding out what it was like in western Sydney at this time was really insightful - I'm a bit too young to know from the news. This is the kind of book I'd like to reread one day, it's so rich in detail.
I originally gave this 4 stars, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it. A week later I was thinking it should be 4.5 stars. I've concluded that I'll average it out to 4.25 stars.
You can tell this book is written by a poet. It is so carefully worded, with so much packed into some sentences in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it way. It felt like we were going back over Jamal's experiences with him. Reading about him as a bi man and seeing how queerness was viewed in the varying intersections of his cultures (Muslim expectations, Lebanese and Turkish cultures). Finding out what it was like in western Sydney at this time was really insightful - I'm a bit too young to know from the news. This is the kind of book I'd like to reread one day, it's so rich in detail.
I originally gave this 4 stars, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it. A week later I was thinking it should be 4.5 stars. I've concluded that I'll average it out to 4.25 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
geekberry's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape