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A review by bookishbasma
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
5.0
This is one of the most intense books I’ve read this year. It’s also one of the first books I’ve seen with a trigger warning in the first few pages, which I highly recommend you read before you pick this book up. The Weight of Our Sky is a tough read that touches on topics of mental illness, racism, and senseless death. It’s a hard read, but a necessary one.
This was an emotional and beautiful story about a girl trying to navigate the riots in Malaysia to find her mother, while battling her mental illness (and addresses the stigma around mental health in the Muslim community). The book picks up the pace almost immediately and I had to force myself to put the book down a few time to catch my breath. The author doesn't shy away from showing the atrocities of these riots, and just how cruel people can be to people who don't look like them. While I loved the side characters (Vincent!), this story is ultimately about Melati and her journey. Her struggles to manage her mental illness in order to find her mom hit me in the gut, and I teared up on more than one occasion.
When I say I couldn’t stop reading this book, I mean I physically couldn’t put it down. It’s a brutally honest story full of tragedy and love, and it’s one everyone should pick up.
This was an emotional and beautiful story about a girl trying to navigate the riots in Malaysia to find her mother, while battling her mental illness (and addresses the stigma around mental health in the Muslim community). The book picks up the pace almost immediately
Spoiler
The movie theater scene had me BAWLINGWhen I say I couldn’t stop reading this book, I mean I physically couldn’t put it down. It’s a brutally honest story full of tragedy and love, and it’s one everyone should pick up.