From the Jacket: Haris Abadi is a man in search of a cause. An Arab American with a conflicted past, he is now in Turkey, attempting to cross into Syria and join the fight against the regime. But he is robbed and taken in by Amir, a charismatic Syrian refugee and former revolutionary, and Amir's wife, Daphne, a sophisticated beauty haunted by grief and the unknown fate of a child she never found when her building in Aleppo exploded.
For me, the book revolves around Daphne's loss and Haris' guilt over unintentionally setting up a scenario that killed a mercenary for whom he was an interpreter. These emotions compel Daphne and Haris to cross into war-torn Syria.
Even though this novel won lots of accolades and was one of five National Book Award finalists in 2017, I kept drifting as I pushed myself to finish, even going to sleep at a couple of junctures. Yes, it has all the checkboxes that are supposed to make a good novel, but its characters were not ones that resonated with me. And while I like to learn about new places and cultures through books, the characters and locations seemed less than authentic -- perhaps too Westernized.
For me, the book revolves around Daphne's loss and Haris' guilt over unintentionally setting up a scenario that killed a mercenary for whom he was an interpreter. These emotions compel Daphne and Haris to cross into war-torn Syria.
Even though this novel won lots of accolades and was one of five National Book Award finalists in 2017, I kept drifting as I pushed myself to finish, even going to sleep at a couple of junctures. Yes, it has all the checkboxes that are supposed to make a good novel, but its characters were not ones that resonated with me. And while I like to learn about new places and cultures through books, the characters and locations seemed less than authentic -- perhaps too Westernized.
