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What Members Thought
This book was so lovely. It was like being told a story by a well-educated, erudite lady/gentleman. However, the beautiful, gentle language is about the horrors of war, the reshaping of nations, the fate of migrants, the hypocrisy of nativists, and the violence underpinning much of our society. This book has an element of magical realism: doors that are portals to a different location. This ability to move seamlessly from one place to another brings the question: what is a country? Is it static
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So bleak. But I liked his writing.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, especially one I realized it was magical realism. It appears to take place at some point in the future, and our main characters are Nadia and Saeed, who meet in an evening class and fall in love. But life is difficult in their city, where tensions are escalating into a civil war. They hear word of mysterious doors that offer a way out, giving them an entryway into another, hopefully safer, country.
There's an almost dreamlike quality to Hamid's writin ...more
There's an almost dreamlike quality to Hamid's writin ...more
Mar 31, 2018
Dana Berglund
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
books-for-grown-ups
Nadia and Saeed meet at an evening class in the city of their births, start to build a relationship, and are swept into the violence and unexpected happenings of their time. Around the time that a violent militant uprising occurs in their city, mysterious portals open up between random doors around the world. They must make choices about going through doors with unknown destinations, leaving their futures in the hands of....fate? chance? luck?
Hamid's prose is conversationally lyrical, if that's ...more
Hamid's prose is conversationally lyrical, if that's ...more
This story is about two individuals that fall in love while their country is going through a civil war. They end up as refugees through an oddly-easy transport, and the story follows the two as they acclimate to life in new lands. Really gripping writing style and story that is so unique and lovely. Yet I wonder, is this what it must be like to live through such hardships - it seems to sugar coat what living through war and migration must be like. He gives a taste of the struggles, including in
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Jan 21, 2018
Christina MOVED TO STORYGRAPH Perucci
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
own
Mar 19, 2018
Terri
rated it
did not like it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
read2018,
booker-prize
