The Arsonists’ City is a well written expansive drama focusing on family dynamics and secrets.
The story opens with a quick-paced, deeply emotional scene. Then we jump ahead a few decades, where the pace slows dramatically and the tone becomes something else entirely.
We spend a lot of time getting to know each of the characters. I normally love character-driven stories, but this one feels overly drawn out and, at times, tedious. Each of the three adult siblings has a narrating part, and we work our way through one at a time, learning about their sibling rivalry, sexual preference, personal struggles, failures, and successes. This goes on for a couple hundred pages. Then their mother gets a narrating part, and we deep-dive into her past. For the longest time, nothing of substance occurs.
The atmosphere and setting are fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects of life in Syria and Lebanon.
The writing is beautiful and the characters are complex, and I have no doubt this will be a memorable, perfect story for the right reader. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that reader this time.
The story opens with a quick-paced, deeply emotional scene. Then we jump ahead a few decades, where the pace slows dramatically and the tone becomes something else entirely.
We spend a lot of time getting to know each of the characters. I normally love character-driven stories, but this one feels overly drawn out and, at times, tedious. Each of the three adult siblings has a narrating part, and we work our way through one at a time, learning about their sibling rivalry, sexual preference, personal struggles, failures, and successes. This goes on for a couple hundred pages. Then their mother gets a narrating part, and we deep-dive into her past. For the longest time, nothing of substance occurs.
The atmosphere and setting are fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects of life in Syria and Lebanon.
The writing is beautiful and the characters are complex, and I have no doubt this will be a memorable, perfect story for the right reader. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that reader this time.