This story is more of a character study, than one with a gripping plot. The narrator (Aaliya) is a 72-year-old Beiruti woman, which I appreciated. It was fascinating to hear about Lebanon's history and Aaliya definitely had a strong perspective. I appreciated Rabih Alameddine's characterization of Aaliya, as he made her feel human. Yes, she is a bit of a misanthrope, but she's a complex human and that came though. She's also a book lover. Some of her perspectives about other people and nations were a bit jarring. I'm not completely sure how I feel about them and if they are situated well enough for me. The reader is told at certain points that they aren't going to get big answers or epiphanies. The way the story unravels is more about daily life and recalling memories from the past.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and that narrator did a fantastic job. This was a great listen for running errands, travel, or when you have bits of time here and there. I don't think I would have finished it if I had read it, but listening to it was great.

I think I had a bit of a fluctuating appreciation of the authorial voice. Some sections I did not like much, they left me quite bored and also a bit perplexed on why they were included. Some parts I enjoyed more, especially the ones focused on the themes of litearture and translation (though I have to say the literary references were a bit relentless sometimes), and also the descriptions of Beirut and its troubled history.

Also, I quite liked the storyline surrounding the character of Hannah, but I have to say that the way the author handled certain aspects of her story did not sit quite right with me

I'm talking about her relationship with food, or maybe I should say her eating disorder, I still do not know what to make of it.

 

The story centers around Aaliya and the readers view characters, events and the surroundings through her point of view, so it is inevitable for the narration to get a bit "stream-of-consciousness-y" but I think that at times it can become too much. Sometimes I felt like the narration was too much disjointed, without a structure to connect the narrative jumps. I'm just not the biggest fan of this kind of narrative style.

Overall, it was a bit of a up-and-down reading experiece, but I quite liked the final section so the book ended on a higher note for me.