ryan_oneil 's review for:

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar
5.0

This was a beautifully written book about a family fleeing war in Syria, making their way through the Middle East and across North Africa. It also weaves in a parallel story about the travels of a mapmaker in the 12th Century across the same area.

Having just read American Dirt, it was impossible for me not to compare them. They have similarities -- a family fleeing violence and trying to cross borders that have closed, a mother traveling with a child, and a child who is fascinated by maps. But, where American Dirt stumbles, this book soars. The characters feel like actual people. The situations feel real.