A review by serendipitysbooks
The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

 The World and All That it Holds is an epic love story that spans most of the first half of the twentieth century, thousands of kilometres - mostly on foot - from Sarajevo to Shanghai, via Bolshevik Russia, Tashkent and the Taklamakan Desert. It’s a story, both tender and tragic, which unfolds against the backdrop of World War I and the Sino-Japanese war. At it’s heart are two Bosnian men, Pinto and Osman, one Jewish the other Muslim, and Rahela, a beloved daughter. It’s a story which focuses a lot on migration, on the refugee experience, and the realities of being a stateless person. It includes espionage and opium addiction. It’s not the easiest of reads with a changing cast of characters, subtle changes of perspective, the looping of time, and the inclusion of multiple languages. It’s poignant, haunting, and beautifully written. It has much to say about humanity. It may not be perfect but I loved it. 
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