Reviews

Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

ledimirnunez's review against another edition

5.0

With this beautiful, poetic, exploratory story, you will be transported across time, sometimes into the past, and other times into the alternate plausibility of possible worlds. But this story is truly more than a dance with time, it is coming-of-age with nima, who the author - along with all other pronouns has decided to keep in a lower-case form so that every vowel and consonant remains accessible.

Along with this decision, the author has kept every sentence and every verse free from punctuation, the only differentiation that separates the spoken word is italics.

I first imagined this was a collection of poems, but despite its poetry embedded into every image it is so much more. It is a memoir, but of many characters, a retelling of a photograph of a history.

One of my favorite passages, “instead i got this name / & I don’t even know why / maybe named for some unknown dead relative / some dreary ghost / so of course / no one wants me at their party / their sleepover / their after-school trip to the mall / of course i fade / to the back of the classroom”

Oh, I remember being invisible too, and Safia Elhillo transports us in her nostalgia locomotive. It feels so real, like we’re right there with Nima.

You will know what i mean, if you listen to her story, that life can bring you on a journey without shifting you an inch.

juxtasage's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

adventuresinfictionland's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jenmangler's review against another edition

4.0

What a beautiful, powerful book.

yasmeexn's review against another edition

4.0

so beautiful, i love her poetry/spoken word. what a wonderful way to end the year

celinbean's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

It took me a little bit to get into the story and see where it was going but once i did it was beautiful. It’s such a hopeful story of finding out where you belong and that home isn’t necessarily a place but a community. 

The author thanked Elizabeth Acevedo as the “godmother” of this book and it shows i think. It’s just as lyrically beautiful as her books.

indukisreading's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

ashliesydel's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Very unique and beautiful self-discovery journey. 

bisexualcrises's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

readingindreams's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

5.0