A review by booklistqueen
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 When she marries a charming entrepreneur and moves to the North Carolina suburbs, Yara thinks she has finally escaped her ultra-conservative Palestinian upbringing. Yet even her dream job with her dream family doesn't seem to fulfill Yara. Yet as Yara's world begins to implode, she realizes that the upbringing that she thought she left behind has lasting consequences for her and her daughters.

Yet again, Etaf Rum stuns with a beautifully written novel about the struggles of a Palestinian-American woman. Yara's problems are relatable to many modern-day women: the pain of living in a patriarchal society, wanting more but having to do everything at home in her marriage. Yet, Yara's upbringing adds another layer; being the daughter of immigrants, Yara feels like she should never be ungrateful because she has it so much better than her parents. A complex and heartrending story, Evil Eye is a powerful book for any book club to read.