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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The Map of Salt and Stars is one of those rare books that leaves me filled with emotion as I close it and grasping at words to describe its beauty and magic. It is, at its heart, a refugee story but it is told with elements of magical realism. We have two stories, one set in modern times and the other in the 1100's, interwoven in a fashion common in some Arabic styles of writing. The two protagonists, Nour, the Syrian-American youngest daughter of immigrants to the US, whose mother makes the seemingly ill-fated choice of returning to Homs, Syria after her husband's death, and Rawiya, a brave girl who disguises herself as a boy, Rami, to work with famous mapmaker al-Idrisi, one of the most famous cartographers and creator of the Tabula Rogeriana (in the 1100's) for King Roger II of Sicily.
Anyone who has watched a scrap of news in the last five years must know that the idea of going home to Homs in Syria would have turned into an ill-fated plan for Nour's mother, herself a mapmaker, to embark upon with her three daughters. The story of their harrowing flight from Syria to the safety of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, takes them through Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, finally to Ceuta, the birthplace of Al-Idrisi. Interwoven in lyrical and fantastical fashion with the adventures of Rawiya, whose story is a sort of love letter to the memory of Nour's father, a storyteller himself, we have a journey that takes us to places of the heart. Having two child narrators has a profound impact on the perceptions and accessibility of the two narratives, particularly the refugee/diaspora component. While brave Rawiya has adventures, Nour herself has them, too. Although she struggles with her sense of identity (a Syrian who doesn't even speak Arabic when her family returns to Homs) with her "superpower" of synesthesia, Nour's flight to safety with her family is rendered powerful in the mind of the reader.
This is a beautiful and powerful book. The most important place on a map is the place you haven't been. You should travel to a place of Salt and Stars.
The amazing Tabula Rogeriana (upside down, since in this time Arabic maps were printed with South at the top)
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Anyone who has watched a scrap of news in the last five years must know that the idea of going home to Homs in Syria would have turned into an ill-fated plan for Nour's mother, herself a mapmaker, to embark upon with her three daughters. The story of their harrowing flight from Syria to the safety of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, takes them through Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, finally to Ceuta, the birthplace of Al-Idrisi. Interwoven in lyrical and fantastical fashion with the adventures of Rawiya, whose story is a sort of love letter to the memory of Nour's father, a storyteller himself, we have a journey that takes us to places of the heart. Having two child narrators has a profound impact on the perceptions and accessibility of the two narratives, particularly the refugee/diaspora component. While brave Rawiya has adventures, Nour herself has them, too. Although she struggles with her sense of identity (a Syrian who doesn't even speak Arabic when her family returns to Homs) with her "superpower" of synesthesia, Nour's flight to safety with her family is rendered powerful in the mind of the reader.
This is a beautiful and powerful book. The most important place on a map is the place you haven't been. You should travel to a place of Salt and Stars.
The amazing Tabula Rogeriana (upside down, since in this time Arabic maps were printed with South at the top)
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As beautiful as I found it when I read it as an ARC. An affecting story that looks at gender and refugee issues through the eyes of a child.
Despite two great plots/stories, it felt repetitive and dry in both instances. However the struggle of women trying to push through such unthinkable obstacles and tragedies transforms you.
The voice of the story from a young girl felt too mature and not
The voice of the story from a young girl felt too mature and not
"The Map of Salt and Stars" by Zeyn Joukhadar is a stunning book. It follows two young girls from vastly different time periods as they journey across the Middle East and Northern Africa. Both storylines are riveting. Both are beautifully rendered with exquisite prose and insight. Although the story of Rawiya reads like a legend straight from "Tales From the Arabian Nights", it does have a basis in fact. The story of her heroics in battling both men and mythical beasts seems improbable, but no more so than that a young woman successfully passed as a boy while traveling in close quarters with her male traveling companions as well as numerous male servants. This aspect is rendered more realistically by Nour in the 21st century, who is often mistaken for a boy due to her youth and her shaven head.
The parallel journeys eight centuries apart add an inventive twist to the tale. The comparisons between worlds so far apart showcase both the differences in culture and society as well as the similarities. For readers like myself, who are woefully ignorant of the plight of Syrians today as well as their ancient history, this story provides insight into issues I have no experience with. The horrifying news stories of recent months are made personal and real when told through the eyes of a refugee. The fact that Nour is too young to understand the political causes of war, yet is forced to live with the ramifications of it, brings the trauma of the bombs and bullets into sharp focus. For anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of the plight of refugees, whether from Syria or any other war-torn or dangerous country, this book is a must-read. Wars may begin in boardrooms and palaces, but they are waged in the streets and homes of civilians. The casualties of war encompass far more than just soldiers equipped to fight.
While I admire Joukhadar's prose, at times her lyrical descriptions proved far too weighty for true enjoyment. Nour's synesthesia is interesting but I found the endless descriptions of the colors she associates with sounds distracting and at times irritating. I could say they were burrs beneath my skin or fires in my ears, but I doubt if you'd understand me any better than the average reader will understand Nour's descriptions. Some are quite beautiful, as in " . . . life draws blood and leaves its jewelry in our skin.", or when Joukhadar writes, "Is the world nothing more than a collection of senseless hurts waiting to happen, one long cut waiting to bleed?", while others are just mysteries. "The pain in my belly grows, a dull speck of heat. I press my hands into skin and muscle, wanting to scoop out the red pulp of myself. My neck is a narrow highway. My sternum is as hard as crab shell.", or, " . . . fear sticks to my legs with the smashed fruit.". What do those descriptions even mean? She also spends an inordinate amount of time telling us about every little movement her characters make, and let me tell you, they are a twitchy bunch! I found myself rolling my eyes every time she described Nour fiddling with her fingers. But these are small irritants in an otherwise beautiful story.
I highly recommend this book. Joukhadar is quite possibly a literary genius and I hope we will have many more examples of her work before she is done. Read this book. It's well worth it.
The parallel journeys eight centuries apart add an inventive twist to the tale. The comparisons between worlds so far apart showcase both the differences in culture and society as well as the similarities. For readers like myself, who are woefully ignorant of the plight of Syrians today as well as their ancient history, this story provides insight into issues I have no experience with. The horrifying news stories of recent months are made personal and real when told through the eyes of a refugee. The fact that Nour is too young to understand the political causes of war, yet is forced to live with the ramifications of it, brings the trauma of the bombs and bullets into sharp focus. For anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of the plight of refugees, whether from Syria or any other war-torn or dangerous country, this book is a must-read. Wars may begin in boardrooms and palaces, but they are waged in the streets and homes of civilians. The casualties of war encompass far more than just soldiers equipped to fight.
While I admire Joukhadar's prose, at times her lyrical descriptions proved far too weighty for true enjoyment. Nour's synesthesia is interesting but I found the endless descriptions of the colors she associates with sounds distracting and at times irritating. I could say they were burrs beneath my skin or fires in my ears, but I doubt if you'd understand me any better than the average reader will understand Nour's descriptions. Some are quite beautiful, as in " . . . life draws blood and leaves its jewelry in our skin.", or when Joukhadar writes, "Is the world nothing more than a collection of senseless hurts waiting to happen, one long cut waiting to bleed?", while others are just mysteries. "The pain in my belly grows, a dull speck of heat. I press my hands into skin and muscle, wanting to scoop out the red pulp of myself. My neck is a narrow highway. My sternum is as hard as crab shell.", or, " . . . fear sticks to my legs with the smashed fruit.". What do those descriptions even mean? She also spends an inordinate amount of time telling us about every little movement her characters make, and let me tell you, they are a twitchy bunch! I found myself rolling my eyes every time she described Nour fiddling with her fingers. But these are small irritants in an otherwise beautiful story.
I highly recommend this book. Joukhadar is quite possibly a literary genius and I hope we will have many more examples of her work before she is done. Read this book. It's well worth it.
I only wish/hope that every person fleeing the violence, death and destruction in Syria....in every war torn part of the world right now....can find the kind of ending these characters did. The narrative of this book gives us a realistic look at the harrowing and maddening plight of Syrian (any) refugees....but I just felt the ending was unrealistic. Sadly.
adventurous
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Beautiful!
I loved the way then two stories were woven together. Rawiya and Nour are such great characters. This is a beautiful way to tell the difficult story of refugees and war.
I loved the way then two stories were woven together. Rawiya and Nour are such great characters. This is a beautiful way to tell the difficult story of refugees and war.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No