Reviews

The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine

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melloyellow0920's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

5.0

howie_nash's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

katiegilley's review against another edition

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5.0

"You tried to find a way to write about refugees and break the wall between reader and subject. You said you wanted people not to dismiss the suffering, not to read about the loss and sorrow, feel bad for a minute or two, then go back to their glass of overly sweet chardonnay. But you failed, of course."

This is exactly what the author managed to achieve in The Wrong End of the Telescope, a powerful book about the Syrian refugee crisis. Alameddine has cleverly put the reader in his shoes, exploring the beaches as boats wash ashore in Greece, meeting the people fleeing the horror of their beloved countries.

This book is told from the point of view of Mina, a Lebanese-American doctor who arrived in Greece when her friend begged for her to help with the refugees. Mina is smart, funny, and uncomfortable being so close to her Lebanon, her childhood home. While living in Lebanon, she was known as Ayman, a little boy who never quite fit in. After winning a scholarship to Harvard, he realized that he should be living his life as a woman and transitioned to Mina. Her family in Lebanon immediately disowned her and she had to build a new life in America, all on her own.

Throughout this novel, Mina is in conversation with the reader (you!), who she believes to be a much admired author who had a nervous breakdown trying to interview and write about the refugee crisis. The book is brilliantly structured and written so elegantly that it's almost impossible to not shed your own skin and walk into the identity of Alameddine himself.

This book packs in the stories of so many refugees and is told in the most humanizing and uplifting way. Their stories are tragic and moving, but this book manages to not be sad. It is a reminder that we are all human, living on the same Earth, and all deserve an equal chance to live happy and safe lives.

accorintijeanette's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

caitlinmakesstuff's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

dfostermartin's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Wrong End of the Telescope reads like poetry, is set in heartbreak, but has these poignant and funny moments, too, that just make you smile. The book mainly focuses around the main character, Mina, her brother, her close friend, Emma, and a writer that Mina knows that is also in Lesbos at the same time. The book effortlessly weaves in stories from real history, including the Lebanese civil war and the Syrian civil war. I felt that the pacing of the book slowed down a bit for me at the end, but it also wasn’t bad necessarily to get more time with each sentence and short chapter.