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anxiousnachos's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A must read for Australians or anyone wanting to know more about the Australian refugee situation. This is a very lyrical, very confronting look at the situation through the eyes of a young child as she and her family escape the war in Afghanistan and journey to Australia via Nauru. The innocence of the voice contrasted to the really shocking horrors faced in such a powerful way. There’s also a touch of magical realism weaved through, with this person Firuzeh imagines back from the dead to “eat her nightmares” as a way of dealing with her fear which I loved the imagery of.
Content warnings: war, refugee camp, refugees attempt to reach Australia via boat (note: a child dies in this section of the plot) , racism, Islamophobia, military/police brutality, child death, suicide, domestic violence, death (of child; of parent)
Content warnings: war, refugee camp, refugees attempt to reach Australia via boat (note:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, and War
mandkips's review
challenging
emotional
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Death and Suicide attempt
espeon's review
I got about 1/5th of the way through the book before putting it down. I wouldn't say the book is bad; rather, it got a little too upsetting for me personally. Clarifying so that me marking it as unfinished doesn't necessarily discourage people from checking it out. It does have an interesting writing style, and while I was worried about how it would be handled being written by an author who isn't Afghan, it didn't feel necessarily too fake or voyeuristic. So the stuff she had been saying in interviews about how much she talked to refugees before writing this is certainly true, I think.
Overall, while I didn't finish, I love this author's other work, so I encourage people who are interested in experimental prose to give it a shot. The racism and negative sentiment about refugees is extremely vicious in this book, however, so do be careful.
Overall, while I didn't finish, I love this author's other work, so I encourage people who are interested in experimental prose to give it a shot. The racism and negative sentiment about refugees is extremely vicious in this book, however, so do be careful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Child death
claudiaswords's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
[I got to read this book ahead of its publication because I was provided an arc copy through NetGalley]
This book is a bit complex to review because as much as its characters may be fictional, the things that happen to them, the events that take place in its pages, are incredibly real. This book packs a punch, it is not long, but every single page of it is important. Every single page made me think about how lucky I am to have the life I have.
This book deals with a family that has to flee their home country (Afghanistan) and their arduous journey to Australia, where they hope to find a new home. It depicts the horrors of being a migrant, the difficulty and dangerousness of the trip but also what happens once you reach the place you struggled so much to get to.
There were many things in this book that were difficult to read, for me the hardest were the chapters in the detention camp, but like I said before, they are difficult to read because they are very real, and that makes it important for them to be read and known. I think, aside from the realness of this story, the thing that made my heart break the most was seeing the innocence leave Firuzeh and Nour little by little, hardship by hardship, but see them still fight, still hope. Because, after all, I think this book is also about that, about growing up and not believing in the stories of your childhood anymore but eventually realizing you need them to endure the injustices of life.
I really appreciated the chapters that changed perspectives, seeing how many people cared or at least thought of this family who seemed to be so alone against the world. E. Lily Yu's prose is enchanting and captivating (in some ways - the best ways- it reminded me of Helen Oyeyemi's), her characters are so real it made me think this was a true story. Firuzeh and Nour and Nasima and Abay and Atay and everyone else in this book are fictional but sadly there are many people in the world with stories too similar to theirs.
I think everyone should read this book, more so if you think it is easy being a migrant, or that the reason they come to your country is to steal your job or live off of your help. I think if you read this story and your heart doesn't break even the slightest bit for the real people behind it then that is because you don't have a heart and so it could never break.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm
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