Welcome to Litsy!

This was a bit hard to follow on audio. It is a bit hard to distinguish what is actually happening from the MC‘s imagination. That said, I‘m still thinking about it, which surprises me and took it from a so-so to low pick.

An Ethiopian immigrant returns to the US from Paris where he has a family. A death causes him to reflect on his childhood, relationships, and his family‘s immigration story. #tob25

This dreamlike book explores an Ethiopian-American man‘s relationship to his family through his life, plus the things kept from him and why. It explores family, identity, race, and hints at mental health. It didn‘t knock my socks off, but it feels like something that might stick for a while. #ToB25

Beautiful writing in this book from the #TobLonglist but a very confusing timeline. It was very difficult to work out if you were in the past, present or future, and who was alive and who wasn‘t.

I guess that‘s the whole point and I gave up trying to figure it out and just went with it, but it still made for a rather confusing read. (As did the MC‘s wife being called Helen in the blurb, but Hannah throughout the book 🤔)

A light pick.

“And just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence.“

Great message!

A story within a story about welcoming different people into your country (and an immigrant perspective). Due to a language barrier, a king tries to show a group of refugees that his country is full by pouring a glass of milk. The refugees' leader uses a sugar cube (that dissolves in the milk) to show that their presence would make their country sweeter, and not cause issues. Thrity Umrigar, the author, is an Indian-American immigrant.

I felt like I kept searching for meaning while reading this book - where was the narrator and what time was it? Once I gave into the fact that the uncertainty was a deliberate part of the experience, I absolutely loved it.

October 2, 2024 Still reading The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma but decided to visit one of my favorite bookstores, Green Apple, on Clement St because I wanted to see what they had. Came across these two gems and will be reading them soon...One of the books is a gift for my mom 🤪🧐🥳

Saedi masterfully depicts the delicate balance between being an American teenager and an undocumented immigrant. Visit https://wowlit.org/on-line-publications/review/xii-1/3/ for our full review, including books it will pair with!