A lyrical debut filled with love and loss
"Half a Cup of Sand and Sky" is a beautifully written story about an Iranian women's lifelong struggle to find love among all the loss that is raining down upon her and her country. Told among the turmoil taking place in Iran in the 1970s and beyond, Amineh's story is a touching one that I will not soon forget.
This book was a different kind of read for one main reason: It didn't have much of a plot. Rather, the novel follows Amineh through her college days, to the early days of her marriage, to the tumultuous relationship she has will her politically driven husband, Farzad, to the birth of her children, all the way to the point when her kids start to get married. The novel highlights the relationships that she creates, the grief that she feels, and the lack of happiness that she cannot seem to truly obtain.
The two main reasons I cherish this book is that it shines a positive light on the Middle East during a time when many Americans feel great hatred toward these people, and how inspiring Amineh's story is, despite the often depressing nature of her life's trajectory. I found that even though Amineh suffers so much and regrets many of her life decisions, she never gives up on finding her happiness, even if she delays the fact for many years. During her youth, she dreamed of writing a book about her parents and her childhood, but after her marriage, she no longer had the time or the willpower to continue this feat. Eventually though, her dream does come to fruition, and I think that Amineh's journey is such a powerful one that can show readers that they should never stop fighting for their dreams and that a little (or a lot) of patience can go a long way.
Despite everything I love about this novel, I still didn't feel one hundred percent absorbed into every part of the story. I ate up the beginning, but found myself drifting away when the story got too tangled up in Farzad's political organization. The moments involving his group were usually spread out pretty well, but their were certain times when there was large globs of politics that had me drifting away. Farzad's political involvement was an important piece of the story, so it was imperative that it was included, but I found that it hindered the rest of the story for me.
Overall, "Half a Cup of Sand and Sky" isn't the most invigorating read of all time, but it was a heartfelt book with elaborate characters that made me root for their happiness until the very last page. In many ways, the novel reminded me of Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," which is another book I cherish immensely. Though very different, they both center on humanizing people from the Middle East and are written with such wonderful prose and with creative uses of symbolism throughout. I hope that people who are fans of Hosseini's work discover this book, because I am sure that they would also enjoy "Half a Cup of Sand and Sky." Amineh's tale is one of grief, loss, and the search for love set against extreme political turmoil. Stories like Amineh's need to be told, and I hope that more people take it upon themselves to read them.
This book was a different kind of read for one main reason: It didn't have much of a plot. Rather, the novel follows Amineh through her college days, to the early days of her marriage, to the tumultuous relationship she has will her politically driven husband, Farzad, to the birth of her children, all the way to the point when her kids start to get married. The novel highlights the relationships that she creates, the grief that she feels, and the lack of happiness that she cannot seem to truly obtain.
The two main reasons I cherish this book is that it shines a positive light on the Middle East during a time when many Americans feel great hatred toward these people, and how inspiring Amineh's story is, despite the often depressing nature of her life's trajectory. I found that even though Amineh suffers so much and regrets many of her life decisions, she never gives up on finding her happiness, even if she delays the fact for many years. During her youth, she dreamed of writing a book about her parents and her childhood, but after her marriage, she no longer had the time or the willpower to continue this feat. Eventually though, her dream does come to fruition, and I think that Amineh's journey is such a powerful one that can show readers that they should never stop fighting for their dreams and that a little (or a lot) of patience can go a long way.
Despite everything I love about this novel, I still didn't feel one hundred percent absorbed into every part of the story. I ate up the beginning, but found myself drifting away when the story got too tangled up in Farzad's political organization. The moments involving his group were usually spread out pretty well, but their were certain times when there was large globs of politics that had me drifting away. Farzad's political involvement was an important piece of the story, so it was imperative that it was included, but I found that it hindered the rest of the story for me.
Overall, "Half a Cup of Sand and Sky" isn't the most invigorating read of all time, but it was a heartfelt book with elaborate characters that made me root for their happiness until the very last page. In many ways, the novel reminded me of Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," which is another book I cherish immensely. Though very different, they both center on humanizing people from the Middle East and are written with such wonderful prose and with creative uses of symbolism throughout. I hope that people who are fans of Hosseini's work discover this book, because I am sure that they would also enjoy "Half a Cup of Sand and Sky." Amineh's tale is one of grief, loss, and the search for love set against extreme political turmoil. Stories like Amineh's need to be told, and I hope that more people take it upon themselves to read them.