Welcome to Litsy!

This fantastic book closely follows the stories of hardship and determined effort to escape intolerable life threatening situations by four Central American immigrants and their families as well as the political ecosystems in all affected countries which push and pull immigration policy in one direction or another. It‘s an absolute must read for anyone who wants to grasp the how and especially the why of the ongoing crises in Central America.

Hmm… my biggest con about this book was the writing style. There were hardly any paragraph breaks, punctuation, or any quotation marks indicating people speaking- that drove me crazy. Within a page the scenario would change, different people would talk, and little to no transition in between. In spite of that, this was an interesting portrayal of a mother trying to hold everything together during a fascist regime. The writing made it hard to enjoy

Second book in a row that I honestly can‘t decide how I feel about. *sigh* On the plus side: the beautiful writing, the magical realism, the authentic-feeling flow of Nadia‘s and Saeed‘s relationship. But on the other hand, I never felt compelled to pick it up once I‘d started despite the fact that it‘s a very short book. That said, I am glad I read it.

I had high hopes due to its Syrian backdrop but it left me underwhelmed. Initially, I struggled to understand the narrative structure which made it less engaging and Nuri's passivity made it even harder to connect. Thankfully, it closes with a sense of peace and hope!

A friend recommended this book. It has magical realism with doors that take characters to other places, but the rest is set in our current world. It‘s about the migrant experience, around the time when migrants were trying to flee to Greece by boat. The 2 MCs live in a place that is taken over by militants, & they eventually take a door, trying to get to a better place. While it‘s sad at times, it does have a hopeful ending. Bookspin for July

Extreme heat then intense downpour makes your great day to read inside.

The heat is finally breaking and I can sit on my porch!