Reader, I am so glad I finally read this book that has clearly impacted literature and popular culture in so many ways. I went into with knowing almosReader, I am so glad I finally read this book that has clearly impacted literature and popular culture in so many ways. I went into with knowing almost nothing, and was at times delighted, horrified, amused, and confused. I imagine that many aspects of the book would have landed very differently for me if I had read it when I was younger. I loved Jane in all her contradictions, she was truly a very compelling character. The highlight of the experience was reading and discussing this book as part of a buddy read. I would never have picked up this book without that, and I am super grateful....more
I read this book several years ago, and it has stayed with me all this time. I didn’t use GR at the time, and I decided to revisit it for obvious reasI read this book several years ago, and it has stayed with me all this time. I didn’t use GR at the time, and I decided to revisit it for obvious reasons - the author and the main character are both queer Palestinian-Canadian women, and these identities play a central role in the book.
For full disclosure, I am friends with the author. I’m always a bit nervous when reading something by someone I know - what if I don’t like it, what will I say? I was completely blow away when I read this book, and strongly recommend it.
Nadia, the protagonist in this book, is Palestinian and Canadian, and grew up in Montreal with her Canadian mother. She travels to Egypt to visit her father, and ends up staying and developing a relationship with Manal, a young artist working in a gallery.
This book is a beautiful coming of age story about the complexity of family and identity. I loved the bi awakening and the sapphic love story, though this is not a capital R Romance. Cairo is so alive in this story, the sense of place was very powerful. Tensions in Palestine play a role in the book, and reading it is a reminder of the many injustices that Palestinians have faced for a very long time.
I first read this book on a beach while on vacation. I remember that I was crying when I finished, and looked up to see that the previously sunny sky had clouded over and it had started gently raining. I was so absorbed in the story that I completely forgot about my surroundings....more
Welp, this book put me through the WRINGER. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut, my heart ripped to shreds. Francis Bacon is a beguiling narratorWelp, this book put me through the WRINGER. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut, my heart ripped to shreds. Francis Bacon is a beguiling narrator (that word will forever be associated with this book), and the court intrigue and games he plays gave me a sense of dread while I read, and for good reason. This is a book about power and the price one pays (and the price those around you pay) to make a mark on history....more
I’m not sure how to rate or talk about this book. My motivation to finally actually read it started because it was prominently featured in one of my fI’m not sure how to rate or talk about this book. My motivation to finally actually read it started because it was prominently featured in one of my favourite reads of the year (We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian), and I was able to read it as part of a buddy read. It’s not something I would have read on my own. Thank goodness for insight from others, because the oblique writing meant I missed quite a few things.
I appreciate the historical significance of the book as one depicting queer love and having a hopeful ending. I loved quite a lot of the romance between Laurie and Ralph. It had some beautiful passages. It also had quite a lot of homophobia and misogyny.
The depiction of the trauma of war added quite a timely dimension. It was like the literary manifestation of “keep calm and carry on”, oof. The lockstep mainstream views about war, contrasted with the ways conscientious objectors were seen, adding the devastating and traumatic impacts of war, and the complexities of all that also seemed quite timely.
Anyway. This book did not quite live up to the adulation I have perceived about it, but I am glad I read it. ...more
Claire aka DocReads
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Books:
literary-fiction
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