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anjbhat's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
4.5 shimmering stars not unlike the ones the father in this story, Rafiq, taught his children to turn to when in pain; stars I cannot help but round up to 5. The rating I give to books that I'll think of long after I've finished it and perhaps forever.
Like the family Mirza writes about with such compassion and grace, this is not a book without flaws and yet I love it wholly. Even if there is just a little something more I want from the story, I can't deny that as it stands, this novel was evocative, lyrical, devastating... and thus entirely unforgettable. When I was just five pages in it struck me that I would cry; already the writing was so imbued with a gentle sorrow, the kind we have all carried with us before. I felt my eyes mist up throughout but the tears really streamed down my face the whole of the final chapter.
Like the family Mirza writes about with such compassion and grace, this is not a book without flaws and yet I love it wholly. Even if there is just a little something more I want from the story, I can't deny that as it stands, this novel was evocative, lyrical, devastating... and thus entirely unforgettable. When I was just five pages in it struck me that I would cry; already the writing was so imbued with a gentle sorrow, the kind we have all carried with us before. I felt my eyes mist up throughout but the tears really streamed down my face the whole of the final chapter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Islamophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Miscarriage
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