A review by carolinefaireymeese
Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah

challenging reflective medium-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

3.75

The best qualities of this book were the textured and palpable descriptions and the refusal to condemn or reify any character. It jumps quickly through time, leaving all summary of character development off-screen, which led the three main characters to sometimes feel like archetypes of "mother," "father," "daughter." Much of this book takes place in one-character reminiscence, but the best moments happen on the brink of connection: Saeedah following Muneer and Hanadi to the ice cream parlor; Muneer's mother attending a far-off wedding to find her middle-aged son a bride against all hope and dignity; Hannah visiting her mother with a new baby only to turn around and get back on another flight rather than watch her baptism. The merging of characters' innate flaws and the strictures impressed upon them (being a Saudi woman, being an immigrant, being arrested for speaking out against government(s), being a fatherless child, able to speak only English with your Arabic-speaking extended family) means that it is impossible to divine whether anyone is past the point of redemption or just doing the best they could. 
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