A review by anxietee9
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
5.0
Wow. Just wow. How do I even write a review for this? It was just so good. So, so good.
When I tried to explain to people what this book is about, I sounded like a crazy person. It's part murder mystery, part ghost story, part romance, part exploration of how alt-right groups recruit teenage boys? Ahmed masterfully weaves together so many difficult topics that it's hard to say what it's about in any concise way. It's painful, it's beautiful, it's haunting. It shines a light on horrific topics with sensitivity and grace and does so through the lens of two characters that are some of the most realistic I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Safiya didn't really know Jawad, and she still felt the pain of his loss deeply. Upon finishing this book, I too feel his loss as if I knew him. I cannot remember ever reading a book so impactful, so relevant, and so emotionally gripping. If I had my way, everyone would read this book.
When I tried to explain to people what this book is about, I sounded like a crazy person. It's part murder mystery, part ghost story, part romance, part exploration of how alt-right groups recruit teenage boys? Ahmed masterfully weaves together so many difficult topics that it's hard to say what it's about in any concise way. It's painful, it's beautiful, it's haunting. It shines a light on horrific topics with sensitivity and grace and does so through the lens of two characters that are some of the most realistic I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Safiya didn't really know Jawad, and she still felt the pain of his loss deeply. Upon finishing this book, I too feel his loss as if I knew him. I cannot remember ever reading a book so impactful, so relevant, and so emotionally gripping. If I had my way, everyone would read this book.