Group Reads Discussions 2023: "Djinn City" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Come talk about your initial, general impressions!

Please save all discussion of particulars, details from the story, character choices, plot questions, etc. for the full spoiler thread.

Content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ neglect, classism, drug use, loss of a loved one, emotional coercion, torture (hide spoiler)] (More about CWs here.)

[Trude]

I read this book on Kindle. It opens as a witty, often lightly satirical text, where we follow ten year old Indelbed’s early years.

Djinn or Jinn are rather unknown for this Scandinavian, so I took to the Internet to befriend myself more with these Islamic spirits. Luckily I found a great video from one of my favourite YouTube channels, Let’s talk Religion (video titled What are the Jinn), that took me far and well into the history of these mythological creatures. I think it paid off to have a little background knowledge of the djinn mythology, it spared me from having to look up some of the terms used in the novel, and maybe it made it easier to grasp the socio-cultural landscape of djinns.

I loved much of the book and would recommend it to others too

[Hank, Hankenstein's Modster]

I am about 1/2 way. I really enjoyed the beginning although it is slowing a bit in the middle.

[HeyT]

I'm starting this today. My very first impression is that the font size is kind of small for a trade paperback edition lol. Gotta find my glasses.

[Meredith]

HeyT wrote: "I'm starting this today. My very first impression is that the font size is kind of small for a trade paperback edition lol. Gotta find my glasses."

Lol, same!

[Georgann]

Started This today, and I agree, the font size is small! Also for a 400 page book. Which 400 pages is slightly more than my limit, so I hope it stays good so I can finish it. This may take me a minute! But I finished chapter 7 and am invested in the book so far. Poor kid! Good grief, what a rough start to life! Rather like Harry Potter, I wonder how a child treated this way can be a decent human being. But he seems to be. I think watching that video sounds like a good plan Trude.

[Meredith]

I like the very Dickensian vibe of the early parts: sprawling, decaying home, eccentric family with 'black sheep', family secrets...

[E.D.]

Read about fifty pages and really enjoying it so far.

[Georgann]

I think I am intimidated by the size of this one...I like it but it seems like a long read to get to the end...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

you can do it! and if you can't, you don't have to finish! but hopefully it will go quickly for you :)

[Ed]

HeyT wrote: "I'm starting this today. My very first impression is that the font size is kind of small for a trade paperback edition lol. Gotta find my glasses."

Same for me. I got it from the library last year, but decided I couldn't handle the font. I will look for it in kindle version later because I enjoy this author.