A review by billiekate
The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Really beautiful story of a young woman revisiting her childhood memories through her great aunt's journals and stories. It's GAY, Palestinian (the author is Lebanese but did her research), and very much based in Arab traditions of magical storytelling/folktales. It's definitely one of those stories you keep having to reference the family tree to keep track of family members.

Some cultural takeaways: I learned a lot of common Arabic words and saw a lot of dishes that exist in both Palestinian and Lebanese culture. This is also a story of a Palestinian Christian family, which I also appreciated as Arab Christians aren't given much spotlight in Western media and stories.
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