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beccatristik's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.5
strelitzia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hieronymusbotched's review against another edition
3.0
There's a lot here, some of it very good, but the relationships just never quite clicked for me - or rather, the protagonist's jumbled heart felt like a jigsaw bought at a flea market, and it's only when you get home that you realise a third of the pieces are missing.
Maybe that says more about me than the writing, but everyone around Niloo came off believably and consistently, all while she became more and more opaque. Something you might expect from a great deal of editing, where everyone the lead has been properly recalibrated for the changes.
Still, as important a topic as ever, and I'm looking forward to reading further afield in 2019 as a result.
Maybe that says more about me than the writing, but everyone around Niloo came off believably and consistently, all while she became more and more opaque. Something you might expect from a great deal of editing, where everyone the lead has been properly recalibrated for the changes.
Still, as important a topic as ever, and I'm looking forward to reading further afield in 2019 as a result.
cami19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
karijohnson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.75
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story of immigration told in the fractured relationship between a woman and the father who remained behind in Iran. Niloo was eight when she was bundled into a car and left Istafan, Iran forever. Her mother, a Christian, was in danger and her father remained behind, his successful dental practice and opium addiction keeping him there. Over then years, there were a few brief, unsatisfactory reunions.
Niloo is a success story. Her mother works long hours in menial jobs to support them and Niloo attends Yale, where she meets her French husband. They settle in Amsterdam, but as Geert Wilders gains popularity as the head of a xenophobic and right wing political party, Niloo's insecurities become less manageable and she becomes involved with a group of Iranian refugees trying to survive as they fight for legal status in a country becoming increasingly unwelcoming.
Nayeri does a wonderful job showing how the uncertainties of refugee life reverberate in a person's life years after they've settled in a new country. Niloo needs rigid rules to survive and carries a backpack around with the documents she finds necessary to proving that she belongs where she is. Nayeri is also effective in describing the relationship between father and daughter, with all the layers of disappointment and love.
This is a debut novel and this is very much evident in the novel, as well as the autobiographical nature of much of the contents. Nayeri has important things to communicate about what being a refugee means and for this, the novel is worth reading.
Niloo is a success story. Her mother works long hours in menial jobs to support them and Niloo attends Yale, where she meets her French husband. They settle in Amsterdam, but as Geert Wilders gains popularity as the head of a xenophobic and right wing political party, Niloo's insecurities become less manageable and she becomes involved with a group of Iranian refugees trying to survive as they fight for legal status in a country becoming increasingly unwelcoming.
Nayeri does a wonderful job showing how the uncertainties of refugee life reverberate in a person's life years after they've settled in a new country. Niloo needs rigid rules to survive and carries a backpack around with the documents she finds necessary to proving that she belongs where she is. Nayeri is also effective in describing the relationship between father and daughter, with all the layers of disappointment and love.
This is a debut novel and this is very much evident in the novel, as well as the autobiographical nature of much of the contents. Nayeri has important things to communicate about what being a refugee means and for this, the novel is worth reading.
alexlaurelhoffman's review against another edition
4.0
Dina Nayeri’s Refuge is a beautifully written story about a father and daughter separated in space and time. As a young girl, Niloo flees from Iran with her mother and brother, taking refuge in America. Her father, Bahman, a renowned dentist with an opium addiction, stays behind. Over two decades, Niloo and Bahman see each other only four times.
Refuge reflects on the difficult, painful experiences of being a refugee. Questions of home and belonging surface even as Niloo acquires all the things she never could have had in Iran. But there is always a sense of disconnect, of a problem family, a fractured community.
While my description so far makes it sound tragic, and it is in many ways, Refuge is also a hopeful story. There are moments of humour and beauty and Bahman’s sense of savouring the world’s delights, of taking pleasure in life, is poignant. Nayeri makes you think about what it means to feel at home, to have a family, and to enjoy life. This book is also riveting. I found myself turning the page without even really noticing. It is thoughtful and beautiful.
And now I really want to have some Iranian food filled with Turmeric!
Refuge reflects on the difficult, painful experiences of being a refugee. Questions of home and belonging surface even as Niloo acquires all the things she never could have had in Iran. But there is always a sense of disconnect, of a problem family, a fractured community.
While my description so far makes it sound tragic, and it is in many ways, Refuge is also a hopeful story. There are moments of humour and beauty and Bahman’s sense of savouring the world’s delights, of taking pleasure in life, is poignant. Nayeri makes you think about what it means to feel at home, to have a family, and to enjoy life. This book is also riveting. I found myself turning the page without even really noticing. It is thoughtful and beautiful.
And now I really want to have some Iranian food filled with Turmeric!
manaledi's review against another edition
3.0
I put this book down and came back to it so many times. The heartache is real. Glad i read it and glad i finished it, but not necessarily recommend.
josie_1864's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-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
3.75
esessa's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. Nayeri is extremely talented at developing characters and immersively (is that a word?) depicting locations. I felt I understood each of the characters, especially the main character, pretty deeply, which is no small feat considering how totally different my world is from theirs. Niloo escaped Iran as a child and grew up a refugee, while her father remained behind. The novel recounts each of their subsequent meetings, in different places around the world, as well as keeping pace with Niloo's current life over a period of a few weeks to months in Amsterdam, where she now lives. Her inner life and conflicts over her identity, connections to her family and husband, and to Iran and her adopted community of refugees, were so deeply explored that I found myself empathizing really strongly with her even while wishing she would behave differently in some situations. She is a fully realized tragic heroine. Each place visited over the course of the story was also gorgeously described, especially scents and foods (which are often tightly intertwined), and you could picture clearly each place the novel brings you to observe Niloo and her various family members, down to the sounds and smells. An expertly crafted story in all its elements.