Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Häuser aus Sand by Hala Alyan

22 reviews

jinmichae's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

I'd suggest writing down relationships and names, because this book covers many generations.

Slice of life, but all characters are connected through family. Place is another character, as the family is split and comes together across countries, often moved by war.

A line that especially struck me was the younger generation visiting Jaffa, and thinking of the privilege of families back in Boston who have hundreds of years of generations all buried in the same cemetery, while her ancestor's graves are--by was and against their will--spread across an entire region.

I found it a very compelling read, only held back by my having to remember who was who and related how.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I didn't love all the characters' perspectives, but some of them I loved with my whole heart. They all contributed to the beautiful, complex tapestry that is this novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Gun violence

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

palejandro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War

sineadz's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

susheela's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, Islamophobia, and Colonisation

Minor: Domestic abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and War

robinks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved getting to walk with the Yacoub family through so many years, getting to see how each of them grows internally and in relationship to the others. I believe the fact that Hala is a clinical psychologist  allowed the characters to feel real. Also, there were many actual historical references that kept the story rooted in reality. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Dementia, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

eslsilver's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and War

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Rape, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia

felishacb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative tense 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

4.0

Intergenerational stories that move through time featuring vignettes from different characters across three generations. 

You see the pain and never-ending grief of displacement through the lives of this Palestinian family and their descendants, spread across the world from Paris to Boston to Lebanon to Jordan. But rarely home. Their refugee status is a shadow throughout, understood differently by each generation as time passes, but it never overpowers the dignity of their very human existence, their sometimes flawed choices and everyday tensions.

I was engaged throughout the story, but I have to admit the emotional revelations in the last chapters of the book stabbed at my heart. This book will stick with me.

Quotes: 

She misses Mustafa. Like a city after a tsunami, the earth is altered without him. Wrecked. 
**
'Motherhood doesn't suit me,' she once confessed to Budur, drunk. 'I don't have the stomach for not knowing what's next.' 
**
"'Punch me,' he wants to yell at Mustafa. 'Tell me to fuck off. Hit me in the face. Pick up that goddamn suitcase. Walk down the driveway. 

I would have followed you. 
I would have followed you. 

Take me with you. You can save yourself. We can both live.'"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and War

Moderate: Death, Torture, Islamophobia, Murder, and Pregnancy

jackie_marion's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and War

Moderate: Islamophobia and Pregnancy

Minor: Toxic relationship