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siobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
NYT Notable Books 2021: 10/100
This was one of those books where everything came together right at the end, but the fact that the whole book was just kind of build up to that moment made it hard to enjoy. The idea behind the book was solid, but I found the execution to be lacking at some points. Maybe it's because I tend not to love books that move back and forth through time, but I think the intentional anonymity and lack of details in the present left me with more questions than answers, as things were only kind of answered on the very last page.
This was one of those books where everything came together right at the end, but the fact that the whole book was just kind of build up to that moment made it hard to enjoy. The idea behind the book was solid, but I found the execution to be lacking at some points. Maybe it's because I tend not to love books that move back and forth through time, but I think the intentional anonymity and lack of details in the present left me with more questions than answers, as things were only kind of answered on the very last page.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
lizmart88's review against another edition
dark
informative
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? No
4.5
This book was gut wrenching in the best possible way! I highly highly recommend this book! We follow two timelines. The first is the "present" ostensibly as Amir, a young boy possibly from Eritrea who has fled his country with his family and now has washed up on the shore of an island where refugees are being rounded up and held in a large gymnasium. Vanna is a young woman who decides to help Amir. The second is flashbacks as Amir flees his country and ends up on the island, with most of the action taking place on the boat ride.
The book almost feels like a modern day fable. It's a spare book with few characters and not much plot happening (said in a positive way). The book simply depicts Vanna and Amir as they navigate bureaucracy and hostile geography and a cultural war they don't really understand. You'll be rooting for the kids as they try to make it and praying nothing bad happens.
The book almost feels like a modern day fable. It's a spare book with few characters and not much plot happening (said in a positive way). The book simply depicts Vanna and Amir as they navigate bureaucracy and hostile geography and a cultural war they don't really understand. You'll be rooting for the kids as they try to make it and praying nothing bad happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Xenophobia
jillaay_h's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Classism, and Deportation
danielnski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A fantastic meditation on war, the people war displaces, and the people who receive them, all while being quite briskly paced and concise. There are so many moments and passages that I flagged for myself to come back to or reflect on because the prose is so beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Trafficking, Grief, and War
lizmarasse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Beautiful, haunting story - the refugee crisis examined from the perspective of a child.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
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: Child death, Death, and Xenophobia
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: Bullying, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
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: Death and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Death of parent, and Classism
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: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Alcoholism
blueteacup's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.5
What Strange Paradise is a challenging novel about the migrant crisis currently happening around the world, specifically tackling migrants from Southwest Asia and North Africa trying to come to Europe. El Akkad uses alternating perspectives between a Syrian child refugee and a Greek teenager to both emphasize cultural and linguistic differences and to portray themes of finding mutual understanding despite these differences.
El Akkad is expertly able to enter the mind of a child and explain what the world looks like to a young boy who is in an unfamiliar place all alone, fleeing from war and strife. He uses fine details to express Amir’s desire to go home despite having no home to go back to, without blatantly stating the obvious. He also uses a wide cast of minor characters to explore differing perspectives on migration and refugee status. From a pregnant migrant woman still desperately trying to hold onto her morals and dignity when it seems everyone else has lost theirs, to a racist colonel afraid of white replacement, El Akkad is able to delve into each character’s mind and portray three-dimensional individuals.
My only gripe with the novel was I found it a bit hard to keep track of all of the characters on the migrant boat, as many were introduced all at once with little intro.
Overall, What Strange Paradise is a very well-written and insightful novel about migration and refugees, with interesting, well-rounded characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: War
Minor: Antisemitism