Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah

24 reviews

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Sandy hook mention, lynching mention, Nazis mention, 9/11, Vietnam, Battle of Karameh, dialysis.

ukponge's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book and I'm disappointed that it hasn't been more circulated in social media book-centric circles! This was a story of a Palestinian-American who's life was not solely centralized around the occupation Palestine, which still took the time to take a firm stance against Israel's colonization of the West Bank. 

Afaf was a phenomenal character; her life story is so multi-faceted and strife with grief, but Mustafah weaves her story with grace, showing the life of a woman who's lost so much yet finds solace in community and religion. The portray of Islam and the various character's relationship with faith was a breath of fresh air, allowing nuance but ultimately showing the rewarding merits of organized religion, even amidst the aftermath of 9/11. 

The only facet of this book that I wasn't the biggest fan of were the chapters from the perspective of the school shooter. It was jarring having this bigot's life story humanized, even to a small degree, in the middle of Afaf's heart-wrenching story. Otherwise, this was a fantastic story for me, and I would recommend it to others though I would HIGHLY advise checking content warnings prior to reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Stalking

radfordmanor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

studiouspoppy's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

4.25

I loved the writing and the evolution of Afaf, I enjoyed her perspective on migration, obviously did not enjoy the discrimination and hate she experienced but i was so interested in how she described her life, and how she survived it all. The pov of the shooter was truly disturbing, but that’s the point. There were some parts were it got confusing, and some tiny mistakes in the shooter’s perspective (using culturally appropriate language when he’s not an appropriate or a cultured man) so his voice got a little weird at times. It was still a really good book.

I specially enjoyed the final chapter were Afaf confronts the shooter and sees he’s so much more smaller and just a white old ignorant guy, and he’s so lonely he accepted her visit when he doesn’t even respect her as a human being.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility and Infidelity

jades1520's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Islamophobia, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Car accident

cecireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity

backpackingbookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

4.5

My immediate expectation when I saw the blurb for this book was that it was going to be a tense, fast-paced read set in a single location over a short period of time during a tragic school shooting. But, although the shooting is a key part of the novel, it by no means defines it. That was what I ultimately loved about The Beauty of Your Face.

At its core, this book celebrates women. It celebrates standing up for your beliefs and being brave enough to follow your heart despite ignorance and judgement from wider society. It celebrates strength, courage, and community. It is a raw and tender portrayal of a family broken apart by loss with unsuccessful attempts to reunite through religion. It spans decades, starting at the scene of the shooting, then flashing back to 1976 when Afaf is 10 years old and an unexpected event ripped through her family. We then flash forward, catching glimpses of Afaf's transition to adulthood, her commitment to her faith, her career choices and family life. The targeted school shooting intersperses with these chapters, reminding us we're leading up to this callous attack, all because the school is Muslim.

It's simple - I loved this book; loved the complex characters and their individual struggles, loved the diversity of a Palestinian family trying to find their place in Chicago, loved the underlying storylines that resolved towards the end of the novel, and loved the saga that unfolded between decades. It was insightful, thought-provoking, and all too real- it felt like I was reading a true account of Afaf's life. I hated the islamophobia, the bigotry in school, the judgement for choosing to wear a hijab - but these are all things Muslim women faced then and now. It might be fiction, but it's certainly not invented.

I can't emphasise how powerful this novel is - I'd encourage everyone to read it.

Rating breakdown

• Plot/narrative - 4.5
• Writing style/readability - 4.2
• Characters - 4.5
• Diverse themes - 4.7
• Ending - 4.3

Overall - 4.4 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism

belle2008's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This book was so heartbreaking in so many ways but such an incredible and important read. It explores finding Islam, experiences of Islamophobia, a hate crime, so much loss and grief. 
The only reason I felt like I really couldn't give it 5 stars was that the writing was a tad repetitive at times, and it would pull me out of the story. BUT I would argue that the story itself is 5 stars. 

We really need more people to read stories like this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail