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A review by beyreads
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Imagine not having fully processed and recovered from one war only to be faced with another war and invasion, though from the sidelines, but still close in proximity. Well, same, I could not imagine it either so that is why reading stories like this is important so one can empathise with the victims of the war—or slaughter.
Salt Houses tells the tale of 3 generations of a Palestinian family who survived one war after the other—along with how they react to the war and cope with the aftermath of the war. It explores the complicated family dynamic, kinship, parenthood, and beliefs of the family.
Each character has their own flaws and dimensions and I loved the book for it. In the Q&A, the author explained that she wanted to abandon the “good immigrant” trope in this book, and that is what made this book feels so realistic and made the characters humane.
Salt Houses tells the tale of 3 generations of a Palestinian family who survived one war after the other—along with how they react to the war and cope with the aftermath of the war. It explores the complicated family dynamic, kinship, parenthood, and beliefs of the family.
Each character has their own flaws and dimensions and I loved the book for it. In the Q&A, the author explained that she wanted to abandon the “good immigrant” trope in this book, and that is what made this book feels so realistic and made the characters humane.