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A review by somelesbianwriter
Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
in many ways this was an interesting read, though it felt very jarring to see some of the humanising 'both sides' type perspective given the current genocide.
to read about fictional 'Israeli' soldiers crying over a child not recognising his father whilst in real life, 'Israeli' soldiers laugh over children they murder... I respect this was this Palestinian author's perspective or the way she chose to illustrate it at this point in time and in this book, but it felt very uncomfortable and jarring to read at this moment.
I also think aspects of the storytelling were probably made more stilted in translation, so it flowed less well.
but it was also an interesting book and easy to read quickly, and I found myself intrigued by a lot of the characters and the portrait of intertwining lives in 70s Palestine.
to read about fictional 'Israeli' soldiers crying over a child not recognising his father whilst in real life, 'Israeli' soldiers laugh over children they murder... I respect this was this Palestinian author's perspective or the way she chose to illustrate it at this point in time and in this book, but it felt very uncomfortable and jarring to read at this moment.
I also think aspects of the storytelling were probably made more stilted in translation, so it flowed less well.
but it was also an interesting book and easy to read quickly, and I found myself intrigued by a lot of the characters and the portrait of intertwining lives in 70s Palestine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, and Alcohol