My favorite read of 2024. A dystopian story that is a near-reality in many countries in the world. The ruling party in Ireland adopts a dictatorial and totalitarian approach to govern and the protagonist's husband, a trade union leader, is arrested with no access to lawyers. The plot revolves around the hardships the family goes through: a son joining the rebels, another son brutally tortured, and protagonist's attempts to flee prove futile. Lynch does a great job in capturing the gradual move of the society into a police state. You feel the helplessness of the protagonist and join her in her will to continue fighting. The writing is clear, concise and deeply evocative.
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023 • NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"A prophetic masterpiece." — Ron Charles, Washington Post
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police on her step. They have arrived to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.
Ireland is falling apart, caught in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny. As the life she knows and the ones she loves disappear before her eyes, Eilish must contend with the dystopian logic of her new, unraveling country. How far will she…
My second favorite. The book takes us to Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1940s and the fightback by Ethiopians. It intersperses fiction with real-life characters including Emperor Haile Selassie that lends a certain credibility to the book. It captures the key role played by the women in fighting alongside the men. What stays with you is the brutality of a war - physical but also psychological.
Set during Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. What follows is a heartrending and unputdownable exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.
From the British decision to grant Israel a homeland for the Jewish people to the struggle of Palestinians against colonial occupiers to their failure to evict them or convince the world of their rights to conflict within their ranks to the possible ways forward, the book tells the story of Palestine. While told from a Palestinian point of view, Khalidi does a great job of retaining objectivity and not giving in to the rhetoric. It captures the key events and their impact on the conflict. It's an informative account of a problem the world is not paying adequate attention to.
'Riveting and original ... a work enriched by solid scholarship, vivid personal experience, and acute appreciation of the concerns and aspirations of the contending parties in this deeply unequal conflict ' Noam Chomsky
The twentieth century for Palestine and the Palestinians has been a century of denial: denial of statehood, denial of nationhood and denial of history. The Hundred Years War on Palestine is Rashid Khalidi's powerful response. Drawing on his family archives, he reclaims the fundamental right of any people: to narrate their history on their own…
Azalea Heights is a story of a diverse cast of characters trying to make a fresh start. Naina is a recently divorced woman who is learning to live alone. Rohan is a small-time restaurant owner with big dreams. Altaf, a proud American citizen, is struggling with the radicalization of his teenage son.
Gerard is a retired two-time Iraq veteran fighting with his inner demons and legacy of the war. Their paths cross, resulting in a chain of events that completely upends their lives. The book offers an engaging account of a clash of cultures and perspectives. It also recognizes the American spirit when people with disparate ideologies, beliefs, and politics come together in a moment of crisis.
