I finished at 12:30 last night, there were just heartbreakingly beautiful parts, the experiences of the brother and sister being newly arrived in Algeria during the emerging days of the war, Christmas break in Miami and the ill fated trip to Cuba, the stark reality of an older adult rehab and memory care facility that seems like a spa at first, but peels away the longer your stay there. But I did feel like I was getting whiplash at times, requiring a globe to track where we are and how we got there, and I totally lost the thread of the academic journey of a few characters along the way. It is suffering in comparison with me reading My Friends simultaneously, which happens in quite concise bites, and while hardly any of it takes place in Libya, I have a complete sense of place of that country, where despite it’s involvement and centrality in this book I don’t really feel I know anything of or about Algeria. Unless the unknowability of Algeria was a central conceit I didn’t quite get??? Then that author’s note at the end where two bombs (I think) were dropped. Was that the justification for the whole long narrative, just so she could reveal things in the author’s note that weren’t in the book, or that I wasn’t keen enough to totally pick up on? This maybe spoilery for the author’s note, but what it ended upon so abruptly without explanation or full context left me confused. That the majority of Jews from the Greek town that was a large and vibrant community in a key shipping port in the city that the family is fleeing from trying to outrun the war, were they, our main family somehow secretly Jewish and would have perished if they had not got out and none of this would have happened? Where did that come from why is it what she leaves us with. A - oh, and by the way, that city, it was filled with Jews and almost all of them perished in Auschwitz? What? Where’s that story? How does this affect our main characters? Is there going to be a sequel of a Jewish family trying to flee and not get out coming next? Why did you tell me this? What is it supposed to illicit from me????
For me, the author’s note added a layer of poignancy, the reminder that so much of our personal history relies on chance, that geopolitical forces affect us and and have affected our ancestors, so we are lucky to even exist in this world.
Thank you for this! There’s a lot of beauty in the book, but a bit that I couldn’t quite parse. And yes! I found that bit in the author’s note a bit jarring! But Lindy, I love what you say about it- I hadn’t considered it through that lens!
This was my first read from the longlist and my first dnf. I was really enjoying it in the beginning, but I quickly lost interest after 150 pages. I agree with you, this would have worked a lot better as a memoir.
Yeah, I really wish I’d liked it more as I could see a lot of beauty there, but I found it hard to connect with it as a big family epic. But I’d love to read a memoir of hers- her writing style is so beautiful.
I’m drawn to novels with large casts and rotating pov, so that aspect really worked for me. The Cuba section puzzled me-not sure why that was included. Maybe because life is a gamble?
I think it is a very subtle and profound book on identity and where home is. It was long but gentle and very intriguing to get into people's minds to partake in their feelings. I didn't know if I was going to like reading it, but Its a remarkable book not to be undervalued.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! And yes, I kind of wish I got into the book because I could see so much love and care in its pages! I’d love to read other books by her!
@@BobTheBookerer I am still quite amazed I liked it so much. She writes so well and its like having the best Sunday Lunch ever when you read the pages...It ticked so many boxes with me and funny enough she mentioned the SS France which was the Ocean Liner that I actually went on for its maiden voyage at four years old to the States with my family...The only thing that initially put me off was the size of the book which took me two solid weeks to read. I hope it gets to the shortlist and maybe further...
I haven't seen anyone really gush about this book. I dropped out at the spoiler part because I might still read it if it gets shortlisted. Otherwise it just seems like there are more interesting books to read, you know?
Interesting, i might consider reading this if it makes the shortlist but its not one that really calls to me. Also im always happy to hear Ruth Ozeki praised 😂
Dropping off at spoilers. I’m not against a writer using their own family history to tell a story. However, it does blur the line between fiction and nonfiction in a confusing way. Does the writer turn real events into fictional story, or stick to facts? To work it has to really convince the reader. I think it has to come across as pure fiction and then astound the reader that it’s based on fact. From other reviews, it seems this book doesn’t pass the test.
I finished at 12:30 last night, there were just heartbreakingly beautiful parts, the experiences of the brother and sister being newly arrived in Algeria during the emerging days of the war, Christmas break in Miami and the ill fated trip to Cuba, the stark reality of an older adult rehab and memory care facility that seems like a spa at first, but peels away the longer your stay there. But I did feel like I was getting whiplash at times, requiring a globe to track where we are and how we got there, and I totally lost the thread of the academic journey of a few characters along the way.
It is suffering in comparison with me reading My Friends simultaneously, which happens in quite concise bites, and while hardly any of it takes place in Libya, I have a complete sense of place of that country, where despite it’s involvement and centrality in this book I don’t really feel I know anything of or about Algeria. Unless the unknowability of Algeria was a central conceit I didn’t quite get???
Then that author’s note at the end where two bombs (I think) were dropped. Was that the justification for the whole long narrative, just so she could reveal things in the author’s note that weren’t in the book, or that I wasn’t keen enough to totally pick up on?
This maybe spoilery for the author’s note, but what it ended upon so abruptly without explanation or full context left me confused. That the majority of Jews from the Greek town that was a large and vibrant community in a key shipping port in the city that the family is fleeing from trying to outrun the war, were they, our main family somehow secretly Jewish and would have perished if they had not got out and none of this would have happened?
Where did that come from why is it what she leaves us with. A - oh, and by the way, that city, it was filled with Jews and almost all of them perished in Auschwitz? What? Where’s that story? How does this affect our main characters? Is there going to be a sequel of a Jewish family trying to flee and not get out coming next? Why did you tell me this? What is it supposed to illicit from me????
For me, the author’s note added a layer of poignancy, the reminder that so much of our personal history relies on chance, that geopolitical forces affect us and and have affected our ancestors, so we are lucky to even exist in this world.
Thank you for this! There’s a lot of beauty in the book, but a bit that I couldn’t quite parse. And yes! I found that bit in the author’s note a bit jarring!
But Lindy, I love what you say about it- I hadn’t considered it through that lens!
This was my first read from the longlist and my first dnf. I was really enjoying it in the beginning, but I quickly lost interest after 150 pages. I agree with you, this would have worked a lot better as a memoir.
Yeah, I really wish I’d liked it more as I could see a lot of beauty there, but I found it hard to connect with it as a big family epic. But I’d love to read a memoir of hers- her writing style is so beautiful.
I’m drawn to novels with large casts and rotating pov, so that aspect really worked for me. The Cuba section puzzled me-not sure why that was included. Maybe because life is a gamble?
Aha, I’m envious of that! My brain really struggles with big casts!
And yeah, I didn’t really get that either!
I think it is a very subtle and profound book on identity and where home is. It was long but gentle and very intriguing to get into people's minds to partake in their feelings. I didn't know if I was going to like reading it, but Its a remarkable book not to be undervalued.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! And yes, I kind of wish I got into the book because I could see so much love and care in its pages! I’d love to read other books by her!
@@BobTheBookerer I am still quite amazed I liked it so much. She writes so well and its like having the best Sunday Lunch ever when you read the pages...It ticked so many boxes with me and funny enough she mentioned the SS France which was the Ocean Liner that I actually went on for its maiden voyage at four years old to the States with my family...The only thing that initially put me off was the size of the book which took me two solid weeks to read. I hope it gets to the shortlist and maybe further...
I haven't seen anyone really gush about this book. I dropped out at the spoiler part because I might still read it if it gets shortlisted. Otherwise it just seems like there are more interesting books to read, you know?
Aha, that’s totally fair! Some people enjoy it a lot, but yeah, I keep waiting to see someone rave about it as their top choice.
Interesting, i might consider reading this if it makes the shortlist but its not one that really calls to me. Also im always happy to hear Ruth Ozeki praised 😂
Totally fair! And yes! Ozeki’s inventiveness really charms me!
The cast was large and indistinct for me too
Glad it wasn’t just me! But yeah, I got a bit lost!
Neither strange or eventful. Not a bad book. But not a notable book.
Aha, fair! And yeah, I think it’s always tricky when you’ve read other books in the year that you would happily swap in.
Dropping off at spoilers. I’m not against a writer using their own family history to tell a story. However, it does blur the line between fiction and nonfiction in a confusing way. Does the writer turn real events into fictional story, or stick to facts? To work it has to really convince the reader. I think it has to come across as pure fiction and then astound the reader that it’s based on fact. From other reviews, it seems this book doesn’t pass the test.
Yeah, I agree with you! I think sometimes the writer can be too close to the story to be able make some of those calls too.