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A review by amberacks12
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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’m still processing this book. And I think I will be for a long time. This book is about so many generations of people whose varying life circumstances work together to weave the tapestry that is the little village of Al Awafi in an Oman that is rapidly changing and modernizing whether it’s people want it or not.
The characters and their struggles were compelling, the complicated family lives were fascinating, and I especially loved the elements of likability and unlikability within each character, making everyone feel like real people.
This is one book that exemplifies why I love reading translated fiction, and why I need to read more of it. This book does not pander to a western audience.
The ins and out of the ways this Omani culture exists is not explained to someone who is unfamiliar. The relationships between family members, spouses, tribes and bedouins, the mentally ill, men and women, mothers and daughters, and yes, even slaves and the families they are in servitude to: all of this is not explained, and it is all different than how I as an American have come to expect, and this book just throws you into the middle of it, expecting you to understand.
I felt like a child trying to understand an adult’s conversation. But that’s also why I loved it.
Enjoyability: 4
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 5
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The characters and their struggles were compelling, the complicated family lives were fascinating, and I especially loved the elements of likability and unlikability within each character, making everyone feel like real people.
This is one book that exemplifies why I love reading translated fiction, and why I need to read more of it. This book does not pander to a western audience.
The ins and out of the ways this Omani culture exists is not explained to someone who is unfamiliar. The relationships between family members, spouses, tribes and bedouins, the mentally ill, men and women, mothers and daughters, and yes, even slaves and the families they are in servitude to: all of this is not explained, and it is all different than how I as an American have come to expect, and this book just throws you into the middle of it, expecting you to understand.
I felt like a child trying to understand an adult’s conversation. But that’s also why I loved it.
Enjoyability: 4
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 5
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Slavery and Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness