safsaf118's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I needed to sit for a few days and let this one sink in. What hurts the most about this story and how true it is - this genuinely could pass for a non-fiction story. The deeply entrenched anti-immigration sentiment that has spread and risen through Europe and Arab countries, the lack of justice and human rights that refugees deal with, and the death and loss that comes with searching for safety and a new home. It took everything in me to keep reading, because I kept wanting to put it down. The ending completely broke me.
Spoiler
I know there are different interpretations of the ending, and I go back and forth between two sides of it: first, the idea that the ending of the story is what would have happened if no one stepped in and helped. OR the other way around, where the entire story imagines an alternate ending if only someone had helped - throughout the journey we only saw people take advantage of Amir and his family, but Vanna's acts of kindness show that there is an alternative, if only she had acted.chelsl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Child death, and Death
tepidgreentea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
nicnicthelibrarycat's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Full of hardships as you might imagine any book about shipwrecked refugees might be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Antisemitism, Police brutality, Bullying, Racism, Death, and Xenophobia
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I can’t say that I “enjoyed” this book per se but it was really brilliant. I think some people may take it at face value and be upset by the ending and not think more critically about what the author was actually trying to accomplish with this work. If you are able to be confronted with your own bias and appropriately critiqued for holding a whitewashed version of what happens during a migrant crisis, then I think this book is an excellent read.
I think this book is a well-written (thought not perfectly executed) critique of the apathy of the Western world to the suffering of the global south, and points a finger straight at the idea Western exceptionalism. In picking apart this notion that some people are inherently good and want to help, and are willing to make great sacrifice in order to do so, and some people are inherently ignorant, selfish, and hurtful, El Akkad creates a story that is not really about the story or characters themselves and more about making a thematic point.
This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing, it just is a thing that some people may feel differently about when approaching this book. I’d highly recommend the audio, the narrator is one of the best I’ve ever heard.
I think this book is a well-written (thought not perfectly executed) critique of the apathy of the Western world to the suffering of the global south, and points a finger straight at the idea Western exceptionalism. In picking apart this notion that some people are inherently good and want to help, and are willing to make great sacrifice in order to do so, and some people are inherently ignorant, selfish, and hurtful, El Akkad creates a story that is not really about the story or characters themselves and more about making a thematic point.
This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing, it just is a thing that some people may feel differently about when approaching this book. I’d highly recommend the audio, the narrator is one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Death
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Classism, Racism, and Death
butlerebecca's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Really enjoyed this - I wish there was more character development and there were a few vague details I would have liked to see clarified but regardless 100% recommend this — a very quick read with some beautiful prose and an excellent message
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Death, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Alcoholism
hlogan's review against another edition
4.0
The portrait El Akkad paints of the stark contrast between the experience of the tourists on the island, the island's locals, and the people trying to reach safety there is utterly heartbreaking. We have so far to go to create equality in the world. A wrenching, beautifully-told story.