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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked up Keeping the House after it was nominated for the Jhalak Prize and as part of the #literaryfifteen challenge. It’s part family saga, part coming of age, part crime novel and it takes place among North London’s Turkish Cypriot community over the span of just over a decade. It’s gritty, featuring poverty, the sale and use of drugs sexual and physical abuse. It’s also a tale of survival with strong women doing what they have to to keep themselves and their families afloat - even when that involves organising heroin to be smuggled into the UK via cabbages. It’s a story that demands the reader’s attention with a large cast of characters and jumping about in time and perspective. The writing style moves between prose and poetry, is often fragmentary and Turkish is incorporated in the text, although translations are provided. I loved the audio because it gave me the opportunity to hear the Turkish. The author brought the place and it’s people vividly to life by focusing on evocative details. While it could be a little chaotic at times I appreciated its fresh voice and it’s peek into a community I hadn’t read about before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
ambero's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
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
5.0
It feels very honest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse