by Ruth Ware
Scout Press, 2024. 383 pages. Fiction
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Newly-out trans artist’s assistant Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor weekend in El Campo, think Las Vegas but with even fewer rules. Arriving at the swanky hotel, Sammie immediately questions their decision to come. Bad enough that they have to suffer through a torrent of passive-aggressive comments from the groom's pals—all met with zero pushback from supposed "nice guy" Adam. But also, they seem to be the only one who's noticed the mysterious cult that's also staying at the hotel, and is ritually dismembering guests and demanding fealty to their bloodthirsty god.
A young woman marries a kind dentist only to realize that there’s a dark mystery surrounding his former wife’s death.
RBL
This book tells the gripping story of Salama Kassab, a young pharmacy student in Syria whose life is upended by the civil unrest and protests demanding freedom. Salama becomes deeply involved in the conflict when she volunteers at a hospital to aid the wounded. Amid the chaos, she grapples with her desire to escape the violence before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth, a concern manifested in the form of Khawf, an imagined companion symbolizing her fears. Salama's journey is not just a physical one, but a deeply internal struggle.
Despite the urging of Khawf, her imagined companion, to leave, she wrestles with conflicting loyalties—to her country and to her own survival. She is forced to confront the harsh realities of war: bullets, bombs, and moral dilemmas, all the while questioning her resolve to flee. Her path intertwines with the fate of Syria itself, as she encounters pivotal moments and reunites with a significant figure from her past, prompting her to reevaluate her intentions. Zoulfa Katouh's novel captures the intense emotional and psychological turmoil of individuals caught amid conflict, offering a poignant exploration of courage, sacrifice, and the quest for freedom in a war-torn land.
I absolutely loved this story because it immersed me in a slice of history that was new to me. Salama's challenges resonated deeply, pulling me into her world with each turn of the page. The narrative's swift pace kept me anticipating what would unfold next, my curiosity never failing. Both the internal and external struggles felt authentic and profound, bringing an emotional response that lingered long after I finished reading. This book profoundly impacted me, teaching valuable lessons on resilience and the enduring importance of faith, family, and hope in the face of adversity. It serves as a moving testament to the determined human spirit and the universal pursuit of freedom.
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"In the book 'Before We Were Free' by Julia Alvarez, Anita de la Torre's life in the Dominican Republic undergoes a dramatic shift as political turmoil grips her country in 1960. What was once a life of unquestioned freedom is quickly shattered: her relatives flee to the United States, her uncle disappears mysteriously, and her family faces constant fear from the oppressive secret police under the dictatorship of el Trujillo. Anita, just turning twelve, finds herself navigating a world where her family's actions could mean life or death. With the support and courage of her loved ones, she must confront her deepest fears and make a daring escape to the United States, leaving behind everything familiar. Julia Alvarez paints a poignant portrait of adolescence and resilience in 'Before We Were Free,' showcasing one girl's quest for liberty amidst political oppression. Through Anita's journey, Alvarez explores themes of courage, family bonds, and the pursuit of freedom in the face of adversity."
In 1953 Tehran, amidst political turmoil, Roya discovers solace in Mr. Fakhri’s stationery shop—a haven of books and colorful inks. Introduced by Mr. Fakhri, she falls deeply for Bahman, drawn to his passion for justice and love for Rumi's poetry. Their romance flourishes until the eve of their wedding, when a coup disrupts everything. Bahman fails to appear, leaving Roya devastated. Despite futile attempts to find him, she eventually moves on with her life in America.
Over sixty years later, fate reunites Roya and Bahman, prompting her to confront the lingering questions that have haunted her for decades: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How could you forget me?
During the final days of the Vietnam War, Hằng takes her little brother Linh to the airport to flee to safety in America. In a sudden moment, Linh is taken from her—and Hằng is left behind in their war-torn country.
Six years later, Hằng has journeyed to Texas as a refugee from Vietnam. Unsure of how to find her lost brother, she meets LeeRoy, a city boy with dreams of rodeo success, who decides to help her.
Hằng is thrilled to reunite with Linh, but her heart breaks when she realizes he doesn't remember her, their family, or Vietnam. Despite feeling more distant than ever, Hằng is determined to bridge the gap between them no matter what it takes.
Hi'i is proud to be a Naupaka, a family renowned for its contributions to hula and her hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, but there's a lot she doesn't understand. She's never met her legendary grandmother and her mother has never revealed the identity of her father. Worse, unspoken divides within her tight-knit community have started to grow, creating fractures whose origins are somehow entangled with her own family history. In hula, Hi'i sees a chance to live up to her name and solidify her place within her family legacy. But in order to win the next Miss Aloha Hula competition, she will have to turn her back on everything she had ever been taught, and maybe even lose the very thing she was fighting for.
This book is written in multiple perspectives. The most expected of those are the three Naupaka women the story follows. The other main perspective, unexpected but absolutely delightful, is the collective voice of the Hawaiian community in Hilo. This style, while new to me, so perfectly captures the spirit of Hawaii and it's people. In a book that is very character-driven, I'm glad the author made the surrounding community a character as well. The writing overall was lyrical, which is a word that I usually use to say that the sentences were pretty. However, with this book I use it to say that the tempo and the cadence of each sentence felt intentional. It is clear that Hakes uses the writing reflect the linguistic patterns these characters would use during actual speech. Because of the way the author outlines the concrete and emotional effects of colonization, I think anyone who has ties to Hawaii should read this book. I would also recommend it to anyone who, like me, felt their AAPI month of May was missing Polynesian representation.
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By Lauren Francis-Sharma
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2020. 388 pages. Fiction
In 1796 Trinidad, young Rosa Rendón quietly but purposefully rebels against the life others expect her to lead. Bright, competitive, and opinionated, Rosa sees no reason she should learn to cook and keep house, for it is obvious her talents lie in running the farm she, alone, views as her birthright. But when her homeland changes from Spanish to British rule, it becomes increasingly unclear whether its free black property owners--Rosa's family among them--will be allowed to keep their assets, their land, and ultimately, their freedom. By 1830, Rosa is living among the Crow Nation in Bighorn, Montana, with her children and her husband, Edward Rose, a Crow chief. Her son Victor is of the age where he must seek his vision and become a man. But his path forward is blocked by secrets Rosa has kept from him. So Rosa must take him to where his story began and, in turn, retrace her own roots, acknowledging along the way the painful events that forced her from the middle of an ocean to the rugged terrain of a far-away land.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Pirbhai, a teenage boy looking for work, is taken from his village in India to labor on the East African Railway for the British. One day Pirbhai commits an act to ensure his survival that will haunt him forever and reverberate across his family's future for years to come. Pirbhai's children are born and raised under the jacaranda trees and searing sun of Kampala during the waning days of British colonial rule. As Uganda moves towards independence and military dictatorship, Pirbhai's granddaughters, Latika, Mayuri, and Kiya, are three sisters coming of age in a divided nation. As they each forge their own path for a future, they must carry the silence of the history they've inherited. In 1972, under Idi Amin's brutal regime and the South Asian expulsion, the family has no choice but to flee, and in the chaos, they leave something devastating behind. As Pirbhai's grandchildren, scattered across the world, find their way back to each other in exile in Toronto, a letter arrives that stokes the flames of the fire that haunts the family. It makes each generation question how far they are willing to go, and who they are willing to defy to secure their own place in the world.
KJ